Bound
by PurpleRanger101
Summary: continuation of Sacrifice, though can be read alone. All the female Rangers have been captured and the guys told that if they come after them, the ones they love will be killed. Hunter/Lily primarily
1. Where Could They Be?

Once back at JKP, RJ told Fran to close the parlor early. Blake and Trent looked as if they were ready to tear something or someone limb from limb. Hunter looked close to that point but his expression was relatively closed off.

Dominic took a seat at the counter. "What do we do now, RJ? How do we get in touch with all the other Ranger teams and see who has taken losses?"

RJ looked at Trent. "Your mentor is Doctor Tommy Oliver, isn't he?"

Trent nodded and asked. "Why?"

RJ pointed at Casey, who was sitting in a booth, his head lying on the table. "You're staying here. The rest of us are going on a road trip to see Tommy."

Casey looked askance at his mentor. "What? No! I'm going with you. Look, RJ, I'm almost at a hundred percent already. My only problem is a horribly scarred body and the fact that I'm still pretty weak. But you're not leaving me here. I want Lily back just as badly as the rest of you."

RJ looked at Dom. Dom shrugged. "Why not let him come along? It's not like we're going into battle. We're just going on reconnaissance. But the main thing is…we gotta hurry. Who knows what that goon is doing with the girls?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Forty-five minutes later, the Jungle Fury Rangers, Dino Thunder Rangers and Blake and Hunter pulled up at the outskirts of Reefside. Dom stuck his head out of the crammed pizza cart to look at Connor, Trent, Blake and Hunter on their bikes.

"RJ, we need bikes. I feel like a clown in a VW bug in here!" Dom complained.

Casey threw a sarcastic barb at Dominic. "I have a bike."

Dominic responded in kind. "Then why don't you ride it and give us more room in here?"

Trent rode his bike to the front of the procession. "Come on guys. Follow me; I'll show you the way to the lab."

He rode off in a cloud of dust and the others fell in behind him. It took them just three minutes to get to Dr. Oliver's house. Trent and Connor put their bikes in the Vehicle Bay and Blake and Hunter leaned theirs against Tommy's Jeep. RJ parked the pizza cart next to the Jeep and the Jungle Fury Rangers clambered out.

Connor let them in the front door and called, "Dr. O? Dr. O, are you here?!" He turned towards the others. "Come on, he's probably in the lab." Connor led the way down the stairs and into the lab. Two people were already in the tricked-out room.

As they entered, a man with spiky black hair turned away from a computer. "Hey, Connor, Trent. How'd it go with the Jungle Fury Rangers?" Then he noticed the visitors. "Well, looks like you brought them back here with you."

Trent slapped the man on the shoulder. "Hey, Dr. O. This is RJ, Dominic, Theo and Casey," he pointed to each guy in turn and then added, "And you already know Blake and Hunter, of course."

A dark-skinned young man wearing blue plaid walked up and punched Connor on the arm. "Hey, dude. What's going on? Where's Kira?"

Connor's face turned grim. "We have a problem." Quickly, he explained what had happened, starting with Casey's capture to the capture of the other female Rangers. Finally, he finished, "So, we need to use your database and contacts to see which Rangers have been kidnapped. And I think we're going to need to team up to get them back. And not just us and the Ninja Storm and Jungle Fury Rangers, but all the Rangers. Every team. Every Ranger."

Dr. Oliver nodded. "Sounds like a good plan, Connor. Here, I'll give you contact information for the teams. We can divide and conquer, to get in touch faster. We don't want to leave those ladies in the clutches of evil for any longer than we have to."

He turned back to the computer and pulled up a list of communicator frequencies. "Here," he said, pressing the print button, "Connor, you call Mack and the Overdrive Rangers. Find out if Rose and Ronny are missing. Trent, you contact Nick and the Mystic Force guys-ask them if Madison and Vida are gone. Ethan, you get in touch with Jason and the Mighty Morphing Rangers and find out the status of Kimberly and Trini. Blake, you touch base with your team, see if you can find out how Tori was taken. Hunter, here's the communicator frequency for Carter Grayson and the Lightspeed Rescue team. Ask them if they've heard from Dana and Kelsey lately. RJ, please call Andros and the Space Rangers-I'm not sure if they're here or on KO-35 but find out if Ashley and Cassie are with them. Dominic, if you would please contact Wes Collins and the Time Force Rangers and check on Jen and Katie. Theo, you call Cole and the Wild Force Rangers-ask them how long it's been since they've heard from Alyssa and Taylor. And Casey, I need you to call Leo and the Galaxy Rangers on Miranoi and see if Kendrix and Karone are ok…maybe they didn't get captured since they're not on Earth. And I'll call Justin and Rocky to see about Kat and Aisha. Come on guys, let's get busy."

Everyone pulled out or raised up their morphers and strode off to different areas of the room to make their calls.

**Author's Note: I hope this is interesting so far, possibly a bit boring from this chapter but hopefully not too bad! Please, read and review!**

**Author's Note 2: So I stole this idea from project314 in the story **_**Power Rangers: End of Days.**_** His trailer is so so much better than mine but I wanted to give it a shot. Plus, all you guys should definitely check it out because that story is amazing. I didn't pay attention at all in Biology today so I could read Chapter 14. So here's a trailer of what to expect in **_**Bound**_**. If you've already read **_**Bound**_**, maybe you'll enjoy the trailer anyway. Picture the music **_**Final Countdown**_** playing in the background. Please read and review, por favor.**

**Voiceover: Teams had always stepped up to the plate…**

Jen, Lucas, Trip and Katie approach Wes in _The End of Time Part Three_

Wes: "You guys…you came back."

Lucas: "You didn't think you could get rid of us that easy, did you?"

Katie: "I thought we agreed to stick together."

Jen: "Wes. You're not the only one who can choose his own destiny. We all can."

Trip: "And we choose to stay and fight."

**Voiceover: They had been hurt before…lost friends, lost battles.**

Cassie yells at Kendrix to "Get out of there!" Leo runs, screaming for Kendrix. Kendrix is blown backwards after destroying the Saber and saving Cassie in _The Power of Pink_

**Voiceover: But always they fought back and won the victory.**

Cut to Zhane, TJ, Carlos, Cassie and Ashley on the roof of the building in _Countdown to Destruction_

Carlos: "Hold it right there!"

TJ: "We are the Power Rangers." "Ready?"

All: "Let's Rocket!"

**Voiceover: And now…those they love the most are in mortal peril.**

Shots of Blake and Cam fighting on the beach in _I Love Lothor_

Blake: "It's time you knew the truth, Tori!"

Blake: "My feelings are real! And I'm going to prove it!"

Blake stands in front of Tori, taking the shots meant for her.

**Voiceover: Now they must battle to save those they love…even if it means fighting each other.**

Justin spins into a karate kick, his faceplate cracked and broken.

Connor snaps a kick into the back of a monster, his movements slow.

Damon stands over Joel, holding a monster's sword at bay.

Rocky ducks a punch from Zack and throws his own right hook at Zack, who jumps away.

Danny slashes his Crystal Saber across Will's arm. Will slams his Drive Slammer into Danny's head.

**Voiceover: And, even then, that might not be enough.**

Casey punches Cam in the face.

Dustin pulls vainly at the cuffs holding Tori.

Dana and Karone circle each other, then both spring at the other.

Trini hangs limp in her cuffs.

Leo stands under Kendrix, his Quasar Saber in his hand. "I have to hurt you. I don't want to but I have to. And I have to do it now." His sword whistles through the air.

Jason screams at Andros. "More, Andros! MORE!"

Andros: "I CAN'T!"

Flynn: "You have to, mate! Do you want another death on your hands?"

A girl screams.

**Voiceover: Now they will have to fight to escape.**

Two lines are drawn in the room. Rangers face off with monsters. Connor steps forward. "No one reaches the girls. No one. We fight and we win…or we fight and we die."


	2. Contact

Mack was sitting outside the University waiting for Rose when his communicator dinged. He raised his Tracker to his mouth and answered it.

"Mack."

Will's voice was on the other end. "Hey, Mack, it's Will. Listen, have you seen Ronny? I was supposed to meet her at the track an hour ago. And she hasn't called. I'm getting kind of worried, dude."

Mack laughed. "Will, this is Ronny we're talking about. Punctuality is not one of her strong suits. She'll be there. Just relax."

Will sighed. "Fine. What're you doing anyway?"

"Waiting for Rose. Guess we're both waiting on a girl." Mack chuckled.

Suddenly, Mack's Tracker dinged again. He glanced at the screen and saw the name **Connor** on the screen. "Hey, Will, I gotta go, someone named Connor's calling me on the Tracker. You know a Connor?"

Will sounded puzzled. "No, sure don't. Maybe a friend of your dad's? I'll talk to you later, bro."

Mack pressed a button on his Tracker and switched his call to his mystery caller. "This is Mack. Who's this?"

"My name is Connor. I'm the Red Dino Thunder Ranger from Reefside. You're the Red Overdrive Ranger, aren't you?"

Now Connor had Mack's full attention. "Yeah. What's going on? I've never heard of you or your team."

"I need to know when was the last time you saw Rose or Ronny…I understand those are the two female Rangers on your squad?" Connor asked.

Mack had that feeling in his gut, the one that he always got before a big fight. "I'm waiting for Rose right now and I haven't talked to her in a while. Our black ranger, Will, is waiting for Ronny, our yellow Ranger. He's been waiting for an hour. Why?"

Connor exhaled loudly. "We have reason to believe that an evil Overlord has kidnapped all the female Rangers on Earth. Kira, the yellow Ranger from my team, was kidnapped as were Tori and Lily from Ninja Storm and Jungle Fury. We're calling in all the Ranger teams. Can your morpher lock in on my signal?"

Mack punched in a combination of keys on his Tracker and saw that Connor was communicating from about fifty miles away. "Yeah, I've got your location dialed in. You want us to come there?"

"Yeah, please. We're assembling all the Ranger teams. So if you could get here as fast as possible that would be great."

"We'll be there." Mack terminated the link and re-opened the channel with Will. "Hey, Will, you heard from Ronny yet?"

"Nope. I'm tired of waiting, too, man." Will sighed.

"Good. Meet me at the manor now. Call Dax; get him to join us. We've got trouble." Mack shut his Tracker and slid it back into his pocket. _I hope Rose and Ronny are okay…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick and Xander were working in the Rock Porium when Nick's communicator began to beep. Glancing at Xander, Nick raised it to his mouth.

"Nick here. What's up?" he asked, expecting it to be one of his fellow Rangers.

Instead, a voice he didn't recognize spoke. "Is this Nick of the Mystic Force Rangers?"

Nick's voice was wary. "Yeah, I'm Nick. Who's this and how did you know I was a Power Ranger?"

"Not important right now. Listen, my name is Trent Fernandez and I'm with the Dino Thunder Power Rangers. We've got a situation here and we're hoping you don't have the same one."

"What's the problem?" Nick asked. If this guy was legit, Nick wanted to do all he could to help.

"Our chick rangers have been captured. Two from the Overdrive team, one each from my team, Ninja Storm and Jungle Fury. Can you account for the locations of Vida and Madison?"

Nick didn't ask Trent how he knew the names of the Blue and Pink Mystic Force Rangers. He had an icy feeling clenching his gut and even though he didn't want to, he believed Trent. "Let me try to get in touch with them. Can I call you back in five minutes on this frequency?"

"Sure." Trent said and cut the transmission.

Nick keyed in Vida's communicator frequency. "Vida, it's Nick. Vida, answer." There was no answer.

Xander touched Nick's shoulder. "Nick, mate, what's going on?" Nick raised one hand for Xander to be quiet and punched in Madison's communicator frequency.

"Madi? Madison, come on, quit playing around. Answer your-" Someone picked up Madison's communicator.

Another voice Nick didn't recognize spoke, but this one was deeper and more sinister than Trent's had been. "Madison can't talk right now. She's a bit…tied up."

Nick gripped his communicator more tightly. "Where is she? Who are you?"

"Just remember what I told the others, Red Ranger. If you come after your fellow Rangers, the one you love will die. Painfully…just ask Casey Rhodes-I have no problem inflicting pain." The voice cackled and suddenly, the link to Madison's communicator died.

Xander was getting panicked. "What's going on, Nick? What is wrong?"

Nick was already getting the transmission back online to Trent. As he waited for the White Ranger to answer, he looked at Xander with daggers in his eyes. "They've taken Madi and Vida. And I'm going to get them back."

Jason and Billy were sitting in the Angel Grove Youth Center waiting for Kimberly, Trini and Zack when Jason's communicator beeped. Glancing at Billy, the two headed out to the hallway to answer it.

"Yeah? Alpha, is that you?" Jason asked once they were in private.

"My name is Ethan. Is this Jason Scott?" an unfamiliar voice answered.

"Yeah. I'm Jason. Who are you and how did you get this frequency?" Jason asked, throwing a suspicious look at Billy.

"From Tommy Oliver. I'm the Blue Dino Thunder Ranger. We think all the female Rangers have been captured and need to know the status of your Pink and Yellow Rangers." Ethan cut right to the chase.

"Well, actually, we're supposed to be meeting them right now. They're over a half an hour late." Jason admitted. Just then, he saw Zack enter the Juice Bar. "Hang on a sec."

He jogged over to Zack and grabbed his shoulder. When the Black Ranger turned around, Jason saw he was sporting a black eye and a panicked expression.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Jason asked quickly.

"They took Kim and Trini. I couldn't do anything to stop them." Zack gasped.

Jason's gaze clouded over and he stepped back into the hallway, raising his communicator to his mouth. "Where does Tommy want us to meet him?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Similar conversations were going on all over Earth. Carter Grayson told Hunter Bradley that Dana and Kelsey hadn't been seen in a day and that they were getting worried. Andros was unable to make contact with Cassie and Ashley and so the Space Rangers left KO-35 for Earth. Dominic was able to get ahold of Wes Collins, who informed him that Jen and Katie were supposedly on a mission, but had missed three check-ins. Theo was told by Cole of Wild Force that Taylor and Alyssa were on a routine assignment in Turtle Cove when they went silent. Casey contacted Leo of the Galaxy Rangers and found that Leo, Kai and Damon were already en route to Earth, having seen Kendrix and Maya being abducted and not able to stop it. And Tommy found out that Aisha, Tanya and Kat were all missing. From the time of the last phone call, thirty-four guy Power Rangers were on their way to Dr. Oliver's lab and the mission to end all missions…the mission to save the girls.


	3. Who Goes and Who Stays?

The first ones to arrive were the rest of the Ninja Storm Rangers. Shane and Dustin rode their Tsunami Cycles and Cam rode Tori's. They parked them alongside Blake's and Hunter's and followed Connor into the lab.

"Hey, Blake. Hunter." Dustin said as he entered. He stopped and looked closely at Blake. "Man, are you okay?" He lowered his voice slightly. "We will get her back, you know."

Blake shook his head. "Things were over, Dustin. One more tour and I was quitting. But I couldn't turn my back when they needed me. I couldn't give up the duty."

"That's why you're a Power Ranger, man. You do your duty even when it means you make sacrifices." Dustin knew he and Blake were getting funny looks from the others in the room, but he didn't care. He wanted to make sure his friend was okay.

"Never again, Dustin. I'm getting her back and then I'm done. I won't risk losing all I have again. After this, it's over." Blake said with absolute conviction. Then he, too, seemed to register the odd looks and turned to make introductions. "Guys, this is Connor, Ethan, Tommy and Trent of Dino Thunder. Casey, RJ, Dominic and Theo of Jungle Fury. Everyone, this is Shane, Dustin and Cam of Ninja Storm, the rest of mine and Hunter's team."

Connor headed back outside to greet the next group of Rangers. The Operation Overdrive Rangers were the next to show up and park their Humvee and their ATVs. Connor led them inside as well and introduced them.

"I'm Connor. This is the rest of my team, the Dino Thunder team: Ethan, Dr. Oliver and Trent. That group over there is Casey, RJ, Dominic and Theo of Jungle Fury. And the guys in black uniforms are Shane, Dustin and Cam of Ninja Storm. Also with them are the two in motorcycle jackets, Blake and Hunter."

Mack stepped forward and pointed back to his team. "I'm Mack. This is Will and Dax. We're Operation Overdrive."

This time, Ethan went outside to meet the next team. The Mystic Force Rangers were the next to arrive, swooping down out of the sky on their Mystic Racers. Ethan took them into the lab and introduced everyone.

"I'm Ethan, that's Connor, Trent and Dr. Oliver. We're Dino Thunder. Over there is Casey, RJ, Dominic and Theo of Jungle Fury. In that corner we have the Ninja Storm Rangers, Dustin, Blake, Hunter, Shane and Cam. And these guys are the Operation Overdrive team, Mack, Will and Dax."

Nick nodded but before he could introduce his people, Xander stepped up. "Name's Xander. This is Nick, Daggeron and Chip."

Connor went back outside and waited for the next team to arrive. A yellow Jeep-like vehicle skidded to a stop in the yard and four young men got out. Connor beckoned for them to follow him and they went into the lab where Dr. Oliver introduced everyone who was already there.

"I'm Tommy Oliver and this is the rest of my team: Connor, Ethan and Trent. There's the Jungle Fury team: Casey, Theo, RJ and Dominic. Shane, Dustin, Cam, Blake and Hunter are the Ninja Storm Rangers. The Operation Overdrive Rangers are by that wall, Mack, Dax and Will. And the last team who showed up were the Mystic Force Rangers, Nick, Xander, Chip and Daggeron."

The young man in front of the newcomer group spoke quietly, his eyes full of sorrow and grief. "I'm Carter Grayson. This is my Lightspeed Rescue team: Chad Lee, Joel Rawlings and Ryan Mitchell."

Ryan spoke up heatedly, "My sister was one of the ones kidnapped. When are we going to go get her back?"

Dr. Oliver answered, "As soon as everyone gets here. I think I hear another team approaching, Trent, if you'd go out and meet them."

Trent nodded and got up. As he was leaving the room, conversations broke out among a few of the remaining Rangers. When Trent got outside, he found a new group of guys already heading towards the house. He led them back into the lab and introduced the gang.

"I'm Trent. Tommy, Ethan and Connor of Dino Thunder. Nick, Xander, Daggeron and Chip of Mystic Force. Mack, Dax and Will of Operation Overdrive. Carter, Chad, Joel and Ryan of Lightspeed. Casey, Theo, RJ and Dominic of Jungle Fury. And Blake, Hunter, Cam, Shane and Dustin of Ninja Storm."

A dark-haired young man was at the point of his group and a friendly smile was on his face even though his eyes were hard. "I'm Leo. This is Kai and Damon. We're from Miranoi, the Galaxy Rangers."

A voice came from behind them. "And we just followed you guys down here. I'm Wes Collins and this is my team, Eric, Lucas and Trip."

It seemed like everyone had arrived at the same time now. Adult and teenage guys were pouring into the room, barely stopping to introduce their teams.

"Cole Evans, Wild Force. This is Max, Merrick and Danny."

"Andros, Space Ranger. That's Zhane, TJ and Carlos."

"Jason, Mighty Morphin' Ranger. This is Billy and Zack."

"Rocky, blue Zeo Ranger. That's Adam, the green Zeo Ranger. And Justin, the blue Turbo Ranger."

Finally, forty-five men under the age of thirty-five sat or stood in Tommy Oliver's lab. There was an awkward silence and then Hunter slapped his palms on his knees and stood from his chair.

"So what now, guys? We go get them out, right?" he asked, spreading his hands.

"Maybe." Tommy said. His answer was met with a chorus of protests.

"What? What do you mean, maybe?" Leo was out of his seat, his face livid.

"We are going after them and we are going to get them back!" Carter shouted, knocking over his chair in his fury.

"Tommy, man, this is our girls we're talking about. We've got to get them out." Jason said calmly from his seat.

"That's not what he means," Casey said quietly. He sat cross-legged on the floor in the corner, his scars showing brightly on his pale face. "The Overlord told us that if we went after them, those we loved would be killed. I just think we need to think about that for a minute."

Nick hadn't moved from his seat either. When he spoke, his voice was heavy. "But if we leave them too long, they will be hurt. I tried to get in touch with Madison and got this Overlord person and he told me he had no problems inflicting pain. Looking at you, Casey, I know why…he told me to ask you."

Casey nodded. "Yeah, I think we need to get them out of there but I'm worried that he will kill them if we go after them."

RJ held up a hand. "He said those we love would die. I'm pretty fond of Lily but I don't love her. Perhaps we should decide who loves who and that will let us know who can definitely go after the girls and who can't. Just a thought."

Jason nodded. "Best idea we've got. I love Kimberly with all my heart. I will not jeopardize her safety by going after her, even if that means I have to stay on the sidelines."

Nick smiled longingly. "Madison is my heart's song. She is my other half."

Chip punched Nick in the arm. "Dude, I love Vida. I should marry her and then we could be brothers."

Wes Collins laughed. "Let's save the matrimonial ideas for later. But, yeah, I'm in love with our pink Ranger, Jen. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Eric is very attracted to the Yellow Wild Force ranger, Taylor."

"I love Kendrix Morgan. She is my life and my love." Leo said bluntly.

Blake was sitting in a corner with his head in his hands. When he spoke, his voice was muffled. "Tori is everything to me. We have to get her back."

Carter nodded. "I agree. Dana Mitchell means the world to me and Kelsey means the world to Chad."

"Dana is my sister. I love her in that way so I guess I'm out too." Ryan sighed.

Tommy looked back at Jason. "I haven't seen her in a while, but my feelings never vanished. I'm in love with Kat. And I want her back, no matter what happens to me."

Andros looked at Zhane. "I would die for Ashley. I would gladly give my life for her."

Zhane smiled sadly. "I loved her as Astronema and I love her more now. Karone means everything to me."

"I love Kira. I want her back in one piece. I hope I can stand being left behind while you guys go to rescue my love." Trent laughed shortly.

"I doubt she knows this but I am so, so fond of Rose. I'm not sure what my feelings mean but I won't risk going after her." Mack pointed out.

The next voice that spoke out was hesitant. "I've known her for less than a week but already I feel as if I know her laugh, every line on her face, her Cheetah spirit. I think I'm falling in love with Lily but I don't know. I just know I will stay behind just to be safe." Hunter Bradley kept his face to the ground.

"Ok," Tommy said. "Now we need a plan."


	4. Pain

Lily raised her head and looked around. This was the first time she had been awake enough to take stock of her surroundings. She was in a long room and very uncomfortable. The position she was in, hanging on the wall, reminded her of how Casey had been when she had found him. It gave her a real empathy for the Ranger.

"Is anyone else in here?" Lily croaked. She turned her head and all she could see was a faint outline on either side of her. "Hello?"

"I'm over here." another wounded voice answered. A couple of other voices echoed the sentiment.

"Who all is in here?" a different voice whispered hoarsely.

"Lily. Yellow Jungle Fury."

"Jen. Pink Time Force."

"Madison. Blue Mystic Force."

"Kelsey. Yellow Lightspeed Rescue."

"Katie. Yellow Time Force."

"Tori. Ninja Storm."

"Kimberly. Pink Pterodactyl Ranger."

"Trini. Yellow Saber-toothed Tiger Ranger."

"Vida. Pink Mystic Force."

"Tanya. Yellow Turbo."

"Ronny. Yellow Overdrive Ranger."

"Aisha. Yellow Zeo."

"Maya. Yellow Galaxy Ranger."

"Kat. Pink Zeo Ranger."

"Kira. Dino Thunder."

"Taylor. Yellow Wild Force."

"Ashley. Yellow Space Ranger."

"Dana. Pink Lightspeed Rescue."

"Cassie. Pink Space Ranger."

No one else spoke. "Is that everyone?" Lily asked. "We've gotta work together if we're going to get out of this in one piece."

"No, that's not everyone. I know Kendrix is here somewhere, she was with me when we got attacked. What if they killed her?" Maya said weakly. To Lily's ears it sounded like she was struggling against her chains.

"Rose didn't respond, either." Ronny informed everyone.

"Neither did Alyssa." Taylor said.

"Ok. There's a girl here next to me with a white vest. She's still unconscious. Dark brown hair, anyone know who she is?" Ashley said. The Yellow Space Ranger was craning her neck to look at the Ranger next to her.

"Yeah, yeah, white vest…that sounds like Alyssa. Good. She's here…which isn't good but at least she's alive." Taylor sighed.

"I've got one still out to my right," Jen said, "she's got some nasty bruises on her face. Glasses, looks like, and light blonde hair. Anyone claim her?"

Maya relaxed and stopped tugging against her bonds. "Kendrix. She's alive."

"And I've got the other one over here, than. She doesn't look too good, though." Tori whispered. "We have to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Just then, the door opened and the Overlord stepped into the room. Lily tensed. He strode to the center of the room and stood looking at the girls lining the walls. "Well, isn't this nice. We've got us a nice little display of girl Rangers. Now…I've told your boy Rangers, who are determined to get you out – how sweet – that if they come after you, the one they love will die."

Lily looked at Kira on her right and Kira looked back, eyes wide with fright. _No one on my team loves me,_ Lily thought,_ well, Casey might as a sister, but is that what he means?_

The Overlord laughed, a low guttural sound. "I'm not sure they believe me, though. So I decided to give them a little demonstration." He waved his hand and four of his minions sidled into the room. "Take the Blue Ninja Ranger, the Yellow Dino Ranger, the Yellow Jungle Ranger and…umm…let's see…take the Pink Time Force girl. Yes, those four should do nicely."

A minion approached Tori and the girl recoiled into the wall. On Tori's left, Kimberly struggled against her chains, trying to help the Ninja Ranger but it was no good. The minion pressed a cloth over Tori's face and the girl fell back into unconsciousness. Another henchman went to Kira. Kira tried to kick her feet out at the beast but, since they were chained to the wall, it didn't do much good. Taylor, on Kira's left, and Dana, on her right, tried to protect Kira, but there was nothing they could do either. Soon, the Overlord had four drugged Rangers in the middle of the room.

"The rest of you hold tight. I'll be back soon and we'll see if another demonstration is needed." The Overlord turned and headed from the room.

"I hope the guys can rescue us." Katie said quietly and the sentiment was echoed all over the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The guys were even now trying to formulate a plan. They'd rejected idea after idea, afraid for the safety of the girls. They were so deep in discussion that the beeping of the computer went unnoticed at first.

"Hang on, Dr. O, the computer's beeping." Ethan pointed out after it had been beeping for about a minute.

Tommy turned around to the machine and punched a series of keys. Abruptly, all the color drained out of his face. "It's a video from the Overlord…but I don't think you guys will want to watch it."

Nick lunged from his seat. "Play it, now. Play it." Other Rangers echoed his words and, reluctantly, Tommy put the video up on the screen and everyone crowded around to watch.

The Overlord stood over a figure bound and lying on a table. The figure had a cloth over its face, making it unrecognizable.

"I meant what I said, boys, about killing those you love if you try to come after them. But, I'm afraid you might not have understood me. So I'm going to give you a little demonstration of what I'm capable of, just so that you know I have your Rangers lives in my hands." He stepped up to the table and pulled the hood off of the figure's face.

An expletive came from Trent Fernandez as he saw Kira lying trussed up on the table. And then a low wail of pain came from his very soul as he was forced to watch the Overlord inflict considerable pain on the girl. The Overlord started by taking the tip of his sword and running it down Kira's back, tearing through her shirt and into her flesh. Xander had Trent by the arm and appeared to be forcibly keeping him in his seat. The torture lasted only about five minutes and then the Overlord stepped back. A small, hunched beast entered the room and picked Kira up, carrying her out of the room while another entered with another figure. This one was also laid on the table and her hood jerked off.

Wes was up and out of his seat, his hands balled into fists when he saw that it was Jen. Eric leapt up after him and grabbed his arms. Wes started to sob as the Overlord began torturing Jen by whipping her over and over. Her torture lasted barely five minutes and then, she too was taken away. But the horror wasn't over as another figure was carried into the room.

When the third victim's hood was jerked off, Blake shouted and jumped up, kicking the chair over. Tori was lifted into the air by chains attached to her feet and dunked head-first into a tub of water. She was jerked back to consciousness and came out spluttering and swinging her arms but to no avail. Blake had to watch, horrified, as Tori was dunked repeatedly. "No…" he moaned, dropping his head into his hands. And then, Tori was taken away and one more figure brought out.

This one was wearing a yellow jacket and Hunter knew who it was before her hood was taken off. He didn't move, just scowled and clenched his fists, staring intently at the screen. Lily lay on the table as the Overlord stepped closer to the screen.

"This one was responsible for my losing my first prize. I think, if her lover comes after her, she will die the most painfully. But for now…" his voice trailed off and he stepped up to Lily, laying his hands on her leg. In one motion, he snapped the bone and Lily screamed.

Hunter's fingernails were digging furrows in his palms as he watched Lily scream. That was all the Overlord did to her and then she was taken from the room.

"I would advise you to adhere to your instructions. I will not hesitate to kill any of them if I sense my orders are not being followed." the Overlord said and ended the tape.

"Enough planning. We have to get them out," Casey said, smacking his fist into his other hand. "Now."


	5. Team

"Ok," Doctor Oliver said slowly. "We need two teams. One to provide the distraction, one to sneak in and get the girls out. Second team needs to be larger so they can get all the girls out. Maybe we could use a third team standing by for backup. First team…it'll be dangerous. You have to be reckless, willing to engage whatever forces this Overlord dude might throw at you. There's no guarantee you will come out alive. But your job will be to provide enough time for Team 2 to achieve the goal. So, we'll take volunteers. I'm thinking ten of you guys on each team. Who will volunteer to go make up team 1?"

No one spoke for a minute. Then Connor raised his hand. "I'll volunteer for that team, Dr. O. And I'll lead it if you need me to. I think that this team should be made up of those who are most powerful. Maybe those with battilizers or special weapons. Those with the most firepower."

Dr. Oliver nodded. "Ok, so Connor has a point. He'll lead. Nine more volunteers, please."

Joel Rawlings said thoughtfully. "Sure. I'll go on this team – my Mega Battle Armor might come in handy."

"Count me in." Shane volunteered.

Xander grinned. "You might need some magical help on this one. I'll go on team one."

Damon spoke from his seat on the floor. "Lights of Orion might come in handy, as well. I'm in."

"V-Weapons are pretty powerful, not to mention my Chronosaber. I'll go." Lucas' grin was wild.

"The power of the Red Lion will be useful to Team one. Let's do it." Cole said.

"Chance to wreak major destruction? I'm there." TJ's voice was hard.

"The power of the Rhino is at your beck and call," Dominic added, joining the team.

"I'm in, too." Justin, the kid who had first fought evil when he was eleven, volunteered. He was now twenty-two.

"Good. You guys will make up Team One. Now, we need ten volunteers for team two. This team might run into trouble, as well, there's no telling how heavily guarded the girls will be. So…who will go on team two?"

"I'll lead Team two. I have experience in leading teams, don't worry." Kai said, sticking his hand up into the air.

"I'll go with you." Trip said.

Eight more Rangers quickly volunteered and team Two was comprised of Kai, Trip, Dustin, Max, Carlos, Theo, Ethan, Daggeron, Dax and Billy.

"What about the rest of us, Tommy? I'm not just gonna sit on my butt when I could be out there fighting to get back the girls." Will said heatedly.

"You won't be, don't worry. I want the rest of you to hang back as backup. We'll call you in if we need you." Tommy looked like he wasn't too thrilled about the idea of sitting this mission out.

"So we're off to--"

Before Connor could finish his sentence, another series of beeps issued from the computer. Tommy swiveled around and activated a video. Seconds later, his face went white and he quickly shut down the monitor.

"What is it?" Jason asked, concern in his voice.

Tommy shook his head and refused to answer.

Wes' voice was menacing as he stood, not caring about the restraining hand Eric laid on his arm. "Tommy, what is it? Tell us now. Tell us."

Tommy opened his mouth but no words came out. "No," he whispered. "I can't tell you. This changes everything."

Now Blake was out of his seat as well, "If you don't show us that video…so help me, I won't be responsible for what happens next."

"I…" Tommy turned to face Nick. "This concerns you, Nick, mainly. Are you sure you want it up on the main screen?"

Nick's face went white and his knee started bobbing up and down, a nervous habit. "Yes," he said quietly. "Let's see it."

Tommy slumped in his seat and pressed one key on the monitor. Seconds later, the Overlord appeared on the screen.

"I am surprised you have not mounted some pitiful rescue attempt, Rangers. Perhaps you do not think I am serious. I will prove I am serious."

The Overlord turned to a small, stunted being who had a foot resting on a trussed-up figure on the ground. The beast pulled off a mask to reveal Madison Rocca underneath. Nick swore.

"I have decided to make an example of this girl. I believe she is called Madison, the Blue Mystic Force Ranger. I have learned that she is of importance to Nick Russell. And now she is going to suffer my wrath." He motioned to the being and the short figure pulled Madison upright, slicing through her bonds and shoving her away from him.

Madison, realizing she was free, made a desperate attempt to escape, apparently unaware that she was being filmed. She whirled, running towards the door. The Overlord chuckled and swiftly pulled wicked-looking blaster from his hip, shooting great gouts of fire at Madison's back as she ran. The flames engulfed the petite young woman and, seconds later, her body crashed to the ground. Her blue shirt was nearly black, only traces of blue remained. Then the screen went black.

An anguished wail tore from Nick's throat, sounding as if everything he had to live for in the world was gone and life was not worth living anymore. He dropped to his knees, wails shaking his entire body. Chip knelt beside him, tears leaking from his own eyes. Xander and Daggeron slumped back in their seats, looking lost. No one spoke.

After a few moments, Nick looked up at Tommy. "I want in. I am going in and I am going to kill him. Personally."

Connor placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "You're on my team man. I'll help you achieve that goal." Connor's eyes blazed fire. "We will not lose any more of them."

"Connor…I don't know if that's a promise you can make." Tommy looked as if he'd aged a hundred years in the past three minutes. "We need to move fast, in any case. Team one, head to the vehicle bay; you'll be able to call your vehicles from there. Team two, you'll need to go in stealth vehicles. And the rest of you…you will follow Team one till you're a safe distance away. Casey, you'll lead that team, if you think you're up to it."

Casey nodded. "I'm ready. Let's do it."

As the teams got up to leave, Nick approached Xander. "Xander," he whispered, "if anything happens to me, anything at all, you know you're the only one I trust with him, right? You'll keep him safe, won't you?"

Xander nodded and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I know, buddy. But nothing's going to happen to you. Now, come on, let's go."

The three teams rushed for the door as the remaining fourteen rangers watched in frustration, feeling helpless that they couldn't do anything.

**Author's Note: So this took a really long time to get up…I got sidetracked over the summer and stuff…please read and review. I'm going to try and get back in the swing of things soon. We'll see.**


	6. New Arrivals

"Hello there. I hear you're the biggest baddie in this era." A musical, girly voice came from behind the Overlord. The monster spun around to see a woman, clothed in a skintight brown uniform and a black visor.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" he yelled.

"Easy. I'm on your side. My name is Tenaya 7 and I too want to see the Rangers destroyed. But I am from the future…a future where darkness has nearly won. The only ones standing in my Master's way are the RPM Power Rangers. I want them gone…and my Master thinks you can do it. We want to send the Rangers from our time back here. You may do what you want with them, as long as you promise us they will all die in the end. Can you do that?"

The Overlord clapped his hands excitedly. "Yes. More Rangers to play with…just what I want. Bring them to me…" he paused. "Actually…are you advanced enough to send them specific places in time?"

"Yes," Tenaya 7 smiled vindictively. "We have a Time Bot that can do just that. I will simply need latitude and longitude coordinates from you of where you want them and we will send them there."

"Excellent. Send the male rangers—you know which ones are male?" he asked, looking at Tenaya 7. She nodded and he continued, "here. Then, send any female rangers to these coordinates. I'll take it from there."

Tenaya 7 recorded the coordinates and smiled. Then, in a flash of light and a burst of smoke, she was gone. The Overlord chuckled evilly and strode from the room, headed for the Prison Cell to meet his newest playthings.

* * *

**Future-Corinth City**

"We have a breach in the city walls, Rangers. Sector 7. Go!" Dr. K pointed towards the doors as the seven Rangers under her command headed for their vehicles.

Scott slid into the seat of his red car and revved the engine, pealing out of the garage and onto the street, closely followed by Flynn, Gem and Gemma in Flynn's Jeep and Dillon and Ziggy in Dillon's car. Summer brought up the rear on her cycle.

When they arrived at the coordinates Dr. K had given them, they at first didn't see anything. They moved cautiously towards the center of the small clearing between some trees and listened for any noises.

A low, tinkling laugh came from behind them and they spun around to see a new villain, the likes of which they had never seen before.

"Care to surrender?" Scott asked sarcastically.

"If not-" Gem began.

"-you'll go boom!" Gemma finished.

"Not today, Rangers. Today is the day you go boom…well, today is the day you will never see." The Time Bot said cryptically.

"Ready, guys?" Scott asked. The rest of his team nodded and as one, cried to the skies, "RPM get in gear!"

Seconds later, seven Rangers rushed to do battle with the Time Bot and her army of Grinders. Dillon and Ziggy rushed forward to battle with the Time Bot. Ziggy called out his Turbo Ax and swung at the monster's head. Before his blow landed home, a brilliant white light shot out from the Time Bot and enveloped Ziggy.

"Ziggy!" Dillon cried, seeing his friend disappear in the light. He didn't have much time to wonder about it though, before the light reached him and he disappeared as well.

"Dillon!" Flynn and Gem ran forwards to engage the enemy, both reeling over the fact that their friends were gone. Neither one had a chance to score any hits before they, too, vanished in the light.

"Ranger Series Red!" Dr. K called over the communicator. "Scott, what's going on?"

"Dillon, Gem, Ziggy and Flynn just disappeared. No idea where they went." Scott answered, intent on the battle he was waging against an army of Grinders. "Any suggestions?"

"I recorded some temporal disturbances…I'd suggest you be careful." Dr. K advised.

Summer catapulted over some Grinders and landed charging the Time Bot, wielding her Zip Charger. "What did you do with them?" she shouted. Gemma raced behind her, her Cloud Hatchet raised in her fist.

"Oh, goody, the females. You two are going somewhere different," the Time Bot announced gleefully. Seconds later, the light shot out and Summer's Zip Charger fell to the ground where the Ranger had been standing moments earlier. Of the two Rangers, neither one was anywhere to be seen.

"Summer! Gemma!" Scott cried. Abandoning all reason, he ran straight at the Time Bot.

"No! Scott, stay-" Dr. K yelled but by then it was too late. As she watched her screen, the last Ranger faded away in the flash of light. And then the Time Bot disappeared as well.

"Rangers…where could you be?" Dr. K whispered.

* * *

**Present Time—Vehicle Bay outside Dr. O's lab, Reefside**

A sudden flash of light lit the bay, blinding everyone inside for a moment. When it cleared, there weren't ten Rangers in the cavernous garage…there were fifteen. And five were completely unknown to anyone already there.

Instantly upon his arrival, Dillon dropped into a fighting crouch, back to back with Ziggy. Seconds later, Flynn and Gem appeared out of nowhere and Scott arrived last in another flash of light. Scott took one look at the unfamiliar surroundings and pulled out his Rev Morpher. Flynn and Gem flanked him on either side as Connor stepped up opposite Scott.

"Who are you?" Scott asked. "What section of Corinth City is this?"

"Corinth City? What's Corinth City?" Dominic stood next to Connor, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do you mean, what's Corinth City? It's the only human civilization left on the planet, dude." Ziggy looked flabbergasted which was not a new look for him.

Shane looked confused as well. "Only human…who are you? And how did you get here?" Apparently, he had decided to cut straight to the chase.

"My name is Scott Truman. This is Ziggy Grover, Gem, Flynn McAllistar, Dillon. Two other members of our team, Summer Landsdown and Gemma should be around here somewhere. Where are we?" Scott thought it best to leave out the part about them being Power Rangers until they found out exactly who they were dealing with.

"You're in Reefside." Xander interjected, a weirded out expression on his face.

"Reefside? No, that's not possible. Reefside was destroyed…Corinth City is all that's left. What year is it?" Flynn asked quickly.

"2009." Connor answered.

Dillon chose that moment to stand up. "2009? So what, we went back in time…hey, where is Summer?"

"And Gemma?" Gem added.

Connor looked as if the light bulb had just come on. "You guys are Power Rangers, aren't you? From the future?"

"How do you know that?" Ziggy asked.

"Where…is…Summer?" Dillon asked, his voice growing tense.

"We're Power Rangers too. I think you guys had better come with us…if I'm right, we know where your two other Rangers are. And it's not good." Connor turned and headed back into the lab, already on his communicator, calling back the other two teams.

When they got inside, they found everyone waiting for them. Obviously, the other teams hadn't gone very far.

"What's going on, Connor?" Tommy asked, his expression serious.

"Yeah. We want to know what's going on." Dustin said.

"These guys just appeared in the garage, Dr. O. They say they're Power Rangers." Connor explained succinctly.

"Power Rangers? But there aren't any more." Jason replied.

"Not yet. I'm Scott. This is Ziggy, Dillon, Flynn and Gem. We're from the future and we don't know where two of our Rangers are—Summer and Gemma. Your boy here said he might know."

Just then, the noise they had begun to hate came again…the computer started to beep. Dr. O answered it but he didn't even watch it for himself first, just put it up on the screen.

The Overlord was holding two girls in front of him, a meaty hand wrapped around each one's neck. They were instantly recognizable to five of the Rangers in the room.

Dillon lurched forward a step. "Summer!" he cried, anguish in his tone.

"Gemma," Gem whispered.

Flynn looked at Connor. "What's goin' on here?"

Suddenly, the Overlord began to speak. "I have conspired with forces from the future to bring another team of Rangers into our little game. Now I have two more females to play with and you have a few more players on your side, a few more who won't help out much. Remember our rules." With that, he sliced his claws across each girl's face, drawing long tracks of blood.

With a loud expletive, Dillon slammed his fist into the wall beside him. "What is going on!" he shouted.

"This Overlord has taken every female Ranger and imprisoned them. He has injured them…and he has already killed one." Jason said with a look at Nick.

"Then why haven't you gone after them?" Scott asked, his voice deadly.

"He gave us conditions, conditions that have to be met. We were actually on the way out when you came in," Billy sighed. "If any one of us who loves one of the girls, goes to rescue her, that girl will die. So first we had to figure out who loved whom. Once we did that, we split into three teams. Team one causes a distraction. Team two rescues the girls and team three stands by as backup. Now we have to figure out where you guys go. Based on your reactions, I'd say you," he pointed at Dillon, "care for this Summer girl and you," he pointed at Gem, "care for this Gemma. Am I right?"

Dillon and Gem nodded. Tommy took over the orders. "So then you, Scott, will go with Team one. Flynn, you'll be with team two and Ziggy, you can hang with team three. Clear?"

Ziggy raised a hand. "Why are you calling the shots? What makes you so special?"

"Because he's been on four Power Ranger teams, served on the Forever Red mission and is the most qualified. You got a problem with that?" Jason asked menacingly.

"Who, me? A problem? No, man, I'm cool. I can do shadow puppets." Ziggy backed away from the original Red Ranger, looking like he was afraid Jason was going to slug him.

"Then let's move out again." Tommy said and the three teams rushed for the exits again.

* * *

**Overlord's Lair**

Two hunched beasts dragged Summer and Gem into the room where the other female Rangers were being held and chained them roughly to the wall. Summer found herself chained between a dark-skinned young woman on her right and a blonde girl on her left.

"Who are you?" the blonde girl asked.

"I'm Summer. Yellow RPM Ranger. Who're you?" Summer's face hurt like the devil but she wasn't going to admit it. Not in front of a bunch of Power Rangers.

"Taylor. Yellow Wild Force Ranger. That's Katie, yellow Time Force Ranger, on the other side of you." Taylor jerked her head to the right then fell silent.

Gemma was hung between a dark-haired girl on her left and another blonde on her right. "I'm Gemma. What's going on anyway?"

The dark-haired girl swung her head towards Gemma. "I'm Rose, pink Operation Overdrive Ranger. We're being held hostage…though I'm not sure the Overlord means to kill us or kill the guy Rangers or kill us all. So far he hasn't killed any of us."

Gemma spoke up before Summer could tell her to be quiet. "Well, I saw a girl dead outside. She was wearing a blue shirt and had shoulder-length black hair."

There was a long silence and then Kat began to cry softly. "They took Madison out a few minutes ago…maybe thirty. That's who they came in and took."

Vida started to sob then.

"We're all going to die. He's going to kill us all and then he'll kill the others. There's nothing else we can do." Cassie said hopelessly. Indeed, it seemed as though all hope was gone from the room. No one expected the guys to be able to save them…except for Summer, who knew Dillon would never let anything happen to her.


	7. And So It Begins

This time, when Team one reached the garage, they didn't meet any newcomers. Instead, they all gathered in a circle around Connor for some last minute instruction.

"Okay, guys, we're going in hot. We have pinpointed the location of his base and we are going to create as much havoc as we can outside it while team two sneaks in. So let's ranger up here and pull out the big guns so we can be ready to rumble as soon as we get there. You guys ready?"

Ten voices answered him. "Ready!"

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha! Triassic Mode!" Connor shouted. A moment later, the Triassic Ranger stood there, enclosed in his Battlizer Armor.

"Shift into Turbo!" Justin yelled. Instantly, a tall, blue Ranger stood in his place. "Hand blasters!" the guy called and his guns appeared in his hands.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, ha!" Shane cried. "Battlizer Mode!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander and Nick cried together. Nick went straight to the Red Dragon Fire Ranger while Xander called on his Mystic Lion Staff, twirling it in his hands.

"Wild Access!" Cole shouted. "Animarium Armor!"

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Dom yelled. He wielded his Rhino Blade with deadly precision.

"Let's Rocket!" TJ shouted. "Astro Axe!"

"Go, Galactic!" Damon cried. "Quasar Launcher!" The giant gun appeared in his hands.

"Time for, Time Force!" Lucas shouted. "V-2!"

"Lightspeed Rescue!" Joel shouted. "Mega Battle Armor!"

"RPM, get in gear!" Scott yelled. "Street Saber!"

Now eleven Rangers stood ready to fight, ready to die if that was what was needed. Connor swung his leg over his Raptor Cycle. Justin called on the Storm Blaster and he and Shane climbed in. Xander and Nick retrieved their Mystic Racers. Cole brought out his Wild Rider and straddled it, waiting for them to leave. Joel called on the Rescue Rover and he jumped in the driver's seat. Scott, Dom, TJ and Damon also got in, leaving Lucas to ride his motorcycle. Then Connor raced off into the night and the others followed behind; a cloud of dust was the only indicator of their passing.

* * *

Team two was assembling in the woods near the lab. Kai took charge, making sure everyone knew the plan—to wait until Connor gave them the 'go' signal and then, stealth was the key. They knew. Everyone rangered up but left weapons holstered until they were needed.

* * *

Connor's team made no attempt to hide their arrival. Cole's Wild Rider skidded to a stop in front of the fortress, dust and dirt spinning out from under his tires. The others pulled to a stop near him.

"Ready, guys?" Connor asked, catching sight of an army approaching.

Several guys muttered "ready" and then they lined up, ready to take on whatever was coming. And what was coming was scary indeed. Six monsters marched ahead of the vast army of Rinshi.

"Lookie what we have here," a mottled pink and green monster laughed. "An army of power punks who think they can stop us. Well, think again."

"We are going to stop you and then we're going to rescue our friends!" Justin shouted, attempting to make the bad guys think they were the only ones attacking.

"Nice try, boy. We have a present for you." Another monster, blue with gray slash marks all over his body, snickered. He beckoned forward a group of five Rinshi, who bore a pole on which hung a figure.

Connor felt his jaw go slack. Not another one. He couldn't take losing another one. And who would it be? Would it be Kira? Would it be another Ranger, one he didn't know?

A third monster stepped forward and raised his hand. This monster had thick, red, scaly skin and as his hand came up, a jet of red fire burst from his fingertips, spraying the ground under the pole. Flames instantly began to lick upwards towards the helpless captive. Then, in one motion, one of the Rinshi pulled the hood from her face and the Rangers could see who it was.

It was Jen. Her brown hair dangled just above the tongues of fire. She screamed and Lucas seemed to lose it. He jerked forward, racing towards the fire and the girl hanging above it. Ten Rinshi rushed to meet him but Lucas just somersaulted over their heads, landing still running towards his goal.

"Go!" Connor yelled and the other Rangers rushed to do battle as well.

Lucas battled his way through the horde to Jen. He knocked one of the Rinshi away but caught the end of the pole before it could drop and send the girl into the fire. That action seemed to give his opponents an idea, however, and they simultaneously let go of the pole. Jen fell back-first into the flames and her screaming reached a new intensity. Lucas, ignoring the heat and the pain that seared through his uniform, leaned into the fire and gathered Jen up in his arms. He turned and found his way out blocked by the fire monster and twenty Rinshi.

He cradled an unconscious Jen in his arms, refusing to look down at her burns, knowing they would distract him. Using the thumb of one hand, he slapped the communicator button on his morpher.

"Now would be a good time for some help!" he cried.

Before the words were out, Connor came zipping over in front of him and Joel ran up from the other side, both slicing into the enemies before Lucas had time to blink twice.

"Get her out of here! Call Casey or another one of the reserves and tell them to get her out! We'll hold them off!" Connor shouted as he punched and kicked.

Lucas nodded and dashed off, trying his best to not let Jen be jostled too much as he ran.

* * *

Rocky was pacing angrily in a circle. "Reserve. Why am I a reserve? I've done just as much as the rest of these guys. I should be out there. I should be with them."

"Relax, man. They've got it under control." Zack reassured his friend.

"Ummm…they said I'd find you here," a new voice came from the trees. Zack whirled around to face the newcomer. Danny also leapt to his feet.

"Karone?" Carlos asked. "How did you get here?"

"I heard about what happened. They said I'd find you here. I guess since I was only a Ranger for a short while, they didn't think anyone loved me and so they didn't capture me. Tommy told me to bring you guys this," she held out a vial of green liquid. "He said it would boost your powers."

Another new voice came into the clearing but this one came through Casey's Solar Morpher. "Casey, this is Lucas. I've saved Jen and I need you to come help me. Please. You've got to come get her so I can keep fighting."

Casey nodded and turned to go but before he got more than five feet away, Karone was blocking his path. "Before you go, Red Ranger…take some of this. To help you."

Shaking his head, Casey pushed her aside. "When I get back. Not now." He looked around at his team and noticed that he was one short. "Where's the new guy? The green one?"

No one knew. "Find him, guys. Adam, you're in charge. Find him and get ready to rumble if I call. This is it."

Casey ran off into the woods, leaving Karone behind with the other Rangers, minus Ziggy. Adam started to get up to go look for him but then sat back down, deciding he'd better take some of what Tommy had sent for them first.

Ziggy had wandered off for a few minutes to think. He didn't know what had happened but he knew that Summer and Gemma were in trouble. And he wanted to help. Maybe his Shadow Puppets would help…_well,_ he decided,_ I should probably go back either way._

He turned and walked towards the group in the clearing but as soon as he got close enough, what he saw shocked him.

**Author's Note: I know, kind of a cliffhanger but probably not if you are smart. I hope you're liking this story, I'm liking writing it. Hope to update tomorrow, or maybe more tonight, we'll see! Read and review, please!**


	8. Duped

The nine Rangers sitting there were passing around a small beaker-like thing, each taking a sip from it. But what shocked him the most was the figure in their midst, a monstrous green lizard with a reflective surface on its front. Ziggy didn't know why the Rangers were taking something from this monster but he decided he'd better do something.

Stepping back into the clearing, Ziggy cleared his throat and said, somewhat nervously, "Newcomer, eh? So who are you?"

Rocky had just taken the cup from RJ, who was staring straight ahead. "Karone. Pink Galaxy Ranger for a while. She's one of us."

But before he could take a sip, Ziggy sidled up to him and pushed the cup down. "Rocky, umm…I found something in the woods. Would you and," he quickly looked around; only one other Ranger hadn't drunk anything yet, "Will, would you come with me, please?"

The monster looked up at that but then turned her attention back to the group in the clearing, clearly reassured that no one could see through her disguise.

"Sure," Rocky said and the two Rangers followed Ziggy out of the clearing. Ziggy stopped a few feet away from the clearing.

"That's not a Power Ranger," Ziggy said bluntly, turning to face the other two. "It's a monster."

Rocky instantly jumped to his teammate's defense. "What are you talking about? Karone is right-"

He broke off mid-sentence as he looked back towards the clearing. It seemed that once the Ranger was away from the clearing, he had been able to see the monster for who she really was. And he could see that all the Rangers who had taken sips from the monster's cup were not moving. Not even Adam as the monster approached him, sword held high.

"Adam!" Will cried. He ran forward, interposing himself between the monster and the green Zeo Ranger.

"What are you doing, Will?" Adam asked as Will drew his Drive Slammer and raised it in front of him.

"That's not your friend," Ziggy said as he moved to stand beside Will, Rocky taking up position beside him.

"What?" Danny asked. "Of course it's Karone. She's standing right there."

"Yes. It is me, who else would it be?" the monster asked…then swung her sword right at Will. Will backflipped away and swung his own Drive Slammer at the villain.

At this, an obvious attack on a fellow Ranger—at least that's how the affected Rangers saw it—the Rangers who had drunk the tonic leapt to their feet, shouting in outrage.

"What was that for?" Cam shouted. "You attack one of us, man, you attack us all."

Ziggy stood back to back with Rocky and eyed the approaching Rangers. "Guys, I think we're in trouble. Whatever they drank isn't going to let them see the truth. I think we're gonna have to fight."

Rocky nodded. "Zeo Ranger Three Blue!" he cried, wasting no time.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Will called, following his cue. Ziggy joined them a moment later, "RPM get in gear!"

"We're not going to let you take our friends. Kill them or do whatever it is you want to do with them. We are going to stop you." Rocky pointed his Zeo Axe at the monster.

"Rocky, what are you doing? This is Karone. You know her." Adam was on his feet now, looking angry.

"I do know Karone. And that's not her. Whatever she gave you guys has messed with your brains. She's one of the Overlord's minions. Can't you see that?" Rocky replied, pleading desperately.

"Sorry, Rocky. Looks like they're on my side." The monster laughed viciously and sneered.

"Well, then you leave us no choice. End of the line, fake." Ziggy stuck out his chest.

But RJ was having none of it. "I don't know Karone but I recognize a Power Ranger when I see one. And she is one. If you intend to fight her, you will fight us too."

"What's going on?" Casey asked as he walked around a tree, a still unconscious Jen in his arms. "Why are you guys-"

Then he caught sight of the monster standing directly behind RJ and nearly dropped Jen. "RJ! Behind you!"

RJ just laughed. "Chill, Casey. That's Karone. She's the Pink Zeo Ranger. She's here to help us."

Casey shook his head. "That's a monster, RJ! What's going on, man?"

Ziggy stepped up beside Casey. "She gave them something. Only those who haven't drunk it can see her for who she really is. I think we're going to have to fight and they're going to stand in our way. But I don't see that we have a choice."

Gently, Casey set Jen down on the grass off to the side. "Oh boy. We're supposed to be the reserves, you know. We're not supposed to get involved in the fighting." Nevertheless, he stepped up to stand between Rocky and Will, pulling his Solar Morpher out of his pocket.

"Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!" he shouted and a second later, he was clad in his morphing suit, ready for action.

"Casey, Rocky, Will, Ziggy, you don't want to do this." Zack said.

"We are going to take that monster down. You can stand in our way and we will take you out too or you can join us and help us get rid of this evil. Your choice." Will held his Drive Slammer over his shoulder, affecting a devil-may-care attitude.

"Fine then. We will fight." Danny answered. "Wild Access!"

Other morphing calls joined his. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" "It's Morphin' Time!" "Zeo Ranger Four Green!" "Samurai Storm, Ranger Form, ha!"

Finally the Rangers stood opposite each other, ready to battle their friends. Those on the side of good were the Tiger Jungle Ranger, the Black Drive Ranger, Zeo Ranger III-Blue and the Green RPM Ranger. Those facing them were the Black Bison Wild Force Ranger, the Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger, the Violet Wolf Jungle Ranger, the black Mighty Morphin' Ranger, Zeo Ranger IV-Green and the green Samurai Ranger. Those fighting for good were seriously outnumbered.

And then battle was joined. Rocky found himself facing Adam and Zack. It was all he could do to stay with them. Zack swung his fist at Rocky's head. Rocky ducked, only to take Adam's foot in his gut. He aimed a punch at Zack but the dancer jumped nimbly out of the way.

Ziggy wasn't faring any better. He faced just one opponent but this was the Violet Wolf Jungle Ranger, a Pai Zhuq master. This guy had tactics Ziggy had never seen or heard about. Ziggy darted around RJ's kick and engaged his teleporter, transporting to nearly five feet away. He grinned beneath his helmet but then his grin was wiped away when RJ leapt the distance and landed a karate chop in Ziggy's solar plexus.

Casey, hardly healed from his torture at the hands of Dai Shi, whirled into a flying kick aimed at Cam's head. The green Samurai Ranger sidestepped the blow and lashed out with a kick of his own. Casey dodged the hit but he could feel his energy flagging already.

"Come on, Cam! You don't have to do this! We're your friends!" Casey pleaded as he jumped backwards to avoid another punch.

"This isn't about us, Casey. It's about doing the right thing." Cam replied.

And Will was left to battle the last two Rangers, both of the Wild Force team. Merrick and Danny were tag-teaming Will, who swung his Drive Slammer wildly left and right. Danny stepped in with his Crystal Saber and slashed Will across the arm. Will grunted and retaliated, slamming his Drive Slammer into the side of Danny's head. Danny reeled and fell back and Merrick took his place, dancing close enough to Will to hit him with a hard blow from his Lunar Cue.

This battle was going nowhere. All it was accomplishing was making the Rangers tired and hurt. And they were needed elsewhere, at another battle that was going hopelessly wrong.


	9. Overload

Blake did not like sitting at the lab, waiting for news. He wanted to be out there doing something, helping to get Tori back. And he was getting tired of watching Wes pace back and forth. The red Time Force Ranger was wearing a path in the floor. So when the computer dinged, everyone turned to look at Tommy as he answered the call.

"Tommy! We have trouble." Casey's voice was loud and hurried. "A monster infiltrated Team 3 looking like Karone and got most of the guys to drink-" he paused and those in the lab could hear the sounds of battle.

"Will! Danny three o'clock!" Casey yelled. Eric looked at Wes questioningly. Then Casey was back on the communicator. "She got them to drink something and now they're on her side. They're fighting on her side."

"Are you the only unaffected Ranger, Casey?" Tommy asked.

"No. It's me, Ziggy, Rocky and Will against Danny-" he broke off again and now the gang in the lab could hear his Shark Sabers whistling through the air. "Oh, you get the picture! We need help!"

"No way. Too risky." Blake said instantly. "We can't risk the girls."

"But they need our help!" Hunter countered.

"Send Wes!" Casey yelled suddenly, his yell followed by a scream of pain from someone else. "We rescued Jen and could use him now!"

Wes was already running out the door. "He's on his way, Casey." Tommy said.

"One saved." Eric said.

"Yeah, only a bunch more to go." Jason pointed out.

* * *

Wes morphed as he ran through the woods. Once he was morphed, he called his Vector Cycle and sped off towards Casey's location. When he got there, he almost couldn't believe his eyes.

An unmorphed Merrick lay on the ground, his right leg bent at an unnatural angle. Will was fighting Danny and both looked tired. Rocky's left arm hung limp at his side as he tried to hold off both Zack and Adam. Ziggy and RJ were circling each other, neither one scoring a hit. And Casey was fighting for his life against Cam, who was landing hit after hit on the red Tiger Ranger.

Wes wasted no time. He pulled out his Chrono Sabers and charged to Rocky's side, engaging Adam in a brutal sword fight. Adam slashed in at Wes with his Zeo Blade but Wes leapt backwards.

Cam threw a punch at Casey's head but Casey grabbed his wrist, flipping the Samurai Ranger off his feet and landing him flat on his back. Casey dropped to the ground, straddling Cam's body and keeping him on the ground. Then he pulled back his fist and clobbered Cam in the face. Cam groaned but didn't stop fighting. He arched his back and kicked his feet, sending Casey flying off of him.

Just then, Casey's Solar Morpher dinged. He dodged a kick from Cam and answered it.

"What?" he yelled as he ducked under a karate chop.

Connor's voice came through loud and clear. "We need backup. Now."

Casey jogged backwards a few steps and laughed. "We're in over our heads here, Connor! Tell Team two they are clear to go. And go fast! We need those girls out so we can have help here."

"Gotcha." Connor said and cut his transmission, turning back to the battle he was waging on the front lines.

Lucas had returned after passing Jen to Casey but they were still way outnumbered. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe if the enemy thought they were outnumbered they would get cocky and overconfident and falter. Maybe.

Connor ducked under an attack and spun into a kick that landed on his enemy's backside. He swallowed and found his throat was dry. This was taking more out of them than fighting had in a long time.

Joel couldn't take much more. He'd already lost his Mega Battle when his suit's energies ran too low. Now he fought with just his Rescue Blaster. He dodged a high kick from the monster he was fighting and somersaulted away, spinning around to fire three shots from his Blaster. One clipped the monster in the shoulder but the other two flashed by harmlessly. The monster laughed and charged. Joel raised his hands but was unable to fend off the creature's attacks. Seconds later, Joel crashed to the ground, his morphing suit gone, completely unprotected. His enemy stood over him.

"Go on. Kill me. Or haven't you got the guts?" Joel taunted, gasping. He pressed the 'Morph' button on his morpher again and again, praying he'd find enough juice to morph before the monster got him.

The monster snapped its fingers and a sword suddenly appeared in its hands. It raised the weapon high and Joel closed his eyes involuntarily, waiting for the strike.

It never came. Instead, Joel heard the clang of metal on metal and looked up to see Damon standing over him, his Quasar Saber raised above his head, holding the monster's weapon at bay.

"Clear, Joel! Get clear!" Damon shouted.

Joel scrambled backwards and stood up. "I can fight!" he protested. "I just need more energy!"

**Author's Note: Please read and review. It makes me sad that no one reviews…tell me what you think's going to happen or who you think is going to die, just please review. Please.**


	10. Another

Back at the lab, the Rangers had a running comm feed coming from the battle and they heard Joel's protests. Carter turned to Tommy.

"Is there any way to transfer my energy to him? He needs it more than I do right now."

"Yes. Give me your morpher." Tommy turned to his computer and held his hand out to Carter.

"No. Take mine." Chad said, handing over his morpher. "He can meld his Battle Armor with mine for more power."

Carter nodded and Tommy jacked Chad's morpher into the computer. Blue sparks flew out of the morpher and into the screen.

"More power coming to you, Joel!" Tommy called into the communicator.

* * *

Joel knew that Damon couldn't beat Ugly on his own just as he hadn't been able to do it alone either. So as soon as he got Chad's energy, he jumped into action.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" he shouted and morphed. "Mega Battle Armor, combine!" he ordered, hoping his gamble would pay off and he would be able to use Chad's energy to utilize both sets of Mega Battle Armor. Moments later, he held a water cannon in his left hand and his saw in his right. Then he waded into the battle, ready to do his worst.

* * *

"Bring me the yellow Space Ranger and the other girl we caught—the one who wore the Pink Galaxy Ranger uniform for a while. These boys need a lesson in pain." The Overlord ordered and his minions rushed to do his bidding.

When Ashley and Karone were brought in moments later, both were struggling to get free.

"Why are you doing this?" Ashley cried. "What do you want with us?"

"Because I can, my dear. Your beloved male Rangers are fighting a losing battle just outside my fortress but they will never breach the doors. However, I am going to offer you your freedom for one of them. Give me a name and I will get him here. He will die but both of you will live. You have one minute to decide on a name."

Karone turned to Ashley. "We can get out of here, Ash! You know those guys would sacrifice themselves for us a hundred times over! Just one name, Ashley."

Ashley gaped at her. "You would sell out a fellow Ranger for your life? What are you thinking? How about Zhane, huh? You'd trade his life for yours? No, Karone. We are not doing this."

Karone nodded slowly. "Yes, I see. You're right, of course. I was just…I'm sorry." She turned to the Overlord. "You'll have to kill us."

The Overlord grinned and raised a gun. "Oh, I will. But first, you fight." He pulled the trigger and two tiny darts shot out and hit the girls, knocking them out and to the ground.

When they woke up, they were in a large room. "What's going on?" Karone asked. Ashley shrugged.

"This is a fight to the death. You two will face two of mine. If you win, I let you go. If you lose…well, you lose. Ready? Fight!" the Overlord commanded.

Karone and Ashley stood back to back as a door opened and two figures stepped in. They were the ugliest monsters Ashley had ever seen. One looked like a green pig with large pink ears. The other was like hardened lava and his arms looked like saws.

"Should we go on the offensive?" Karone whispered.

"Yeah." Ashley replied and backflipped away, bounding towards Piggy. She back-handspringed over the monster's head and landed on her feet, already spinning into a high kick.

Karone's opponent met her head-on with a headbutt and the fight was on.

* * *

The computer dinged and Dillon groaned. "Ok. Even I know that's a bad sound. What's going on now?"

"Another video." Tommy said quietly.

Carter clenched his fists. "Play it."

The screen flickered to life and Andros slumped back in his seat. Zhane covered his face with his hands. "Ah, no. Not Ashley." Andros whispered. Sure enough, there were Karone and Ashley standing in a large arena.

Suddenly, the Overlord's voice could be heard. "-you lose…well, you lose. Ready? Fight!"

Then, the Rangers amazement grew. Stepping now into the arena were Kendrix and Dana. Both looked confused; their eyes narrowed as they caught sight of Karone and Ashley.

"Should we go on the offensive?" Karone asked.

Andros watched, mouth open, as Ashley responded "Yes" and launched into an attack against Kendrix. He was even more surprised when Kendrix rolled under the attack, came up in a crouch and leapt at Ashley, driving her to the ground with a flying tackle.

"What is she doing?" Leo shouted, leaping to his feet. "Why are they fighting each other?"

"I don't know. But they're fighting to the death." Ryan groaned as Karone snapped a kick into Dana's gut, causing the Lightspeed Ranger to double over, at which point Karone slammed her fist into Dana's neck.

"Dana!" Carter yelled, tears spilling from his eyes, sure he was watching his beloved die right before his eyes.

"We have to do something!" Eric shouted.

Dana was back on her feet now and pushing Karone onto the defensive. Kendrix was slowing, a long gash marring her face and her left leg dragging behind her. She backed towards Dana and the two pink Rangers stood back-to-back, waiting for their opponents to make a move.

"Ashley…Karone…" Andros whispered.

**Author's Note: Read and Review please!!!**


	11. Release

Then the fight was on again. Dana jumped at Karone and slammed her fist into the side of Karone's face at the same time that she brought her foot up and drove a high kick into Karone's chest. Karone's head snapped sideways and there was the distinct sound of breaking bone.

Ashley stopped fighting and screamed, anguish in her voice, "Karone!"

Zhane's anguished cry echoed hers. He fell to his knees and stared at the screen, unable to tear his eyes from it. Andros dropped beside him and put his arm around his shoulders.

On the screen, the fighters had come to a stop as Ashley fell to the ground beside Karone.

Dana stumbled closer. "That's…that's Karone?"

Ashley jumped up, shaking. "You killed her. You monster."

"Ashley?" Kendrix whispered, recognizing the Yellow Space Ranger's voice. "It's me, Kendrix. And Dana."

"What?" Ashley's face went pale. Just then, the Overlord turned off the holograms in the arena, revealing the girls to each other.

Dana backed away from the others. "Oh no…oh dear God, no…what have I done?"

The doors opened and three real monsters came in. Each one grabbed a girl and dragged them from the room. Then the Overlord's face filled the screen and his voice boomed from the speakers.

"Tick-tock, little boy Rangers. I've killed two and let one go. I'm starting to think you really don't care about them. I will kill one every ten minutes until they are all dead or you try and rescue them. So be quick."

And with that, the video ended. Zhane pounded his fist into the floor. "I'm going." He threw a searching glance at Leo, a glance that Leo seemed to understand. The red Galaxy Ranger nodded slowly and patted his chest with his fist.

"Go. Meet up with Team two if you can still catch them. If not, go help Team one fight." Tommy said. Zhane nodded and dashed from the room.

As he ran towards the woods, he morphed. Under his helmet, his face hardened and his eyes filled with anger. He would avenge Karone's death and he would make this Overlord pay.

* * *

Flynn didn't know all of the Rangers on his team…actually, he didn't know any. But he knew they needed to get moving. This creep had Summer and Gemma and Flynn planned to get them back.

"Ok, let's go. Connor's providing the distraction and we-" Kai broke off as a new figure entered the circle. Zhane powered down as he walked and the first words out of his mouth were,

"Why aren't you guys morphed?"

Kai shrugged. "We, uh, well, we didn't know when we'd get called in and so we, uh, well…we demorphed. Just like five minutes ago, though."

"Zhane? What are you even doing here?" Billy interjected.

"He killed Karone. And he's going to kill one girl every ten minutes so we need to go. Now." Zhane growled.

Kai took one look at Zhane's expression and nodded. There was no movement for a moment and then Flynn spoke up heatedly. "Why are we not going! He's going to kill them!"

Ethan held up a hand. "We're going. We're just figuring out how to do it."

"Well, we can't waste any more time talking! We've got to go!!" Theo exclaimed.

"I know! We sneak in the back while they're providing the distraction out front!" Dax volunteered.

"Right. Just go. Great plan." Carlos muttered dryly.

"It doesn't matter! We have to go!" Zhane shouted. "Morph! Now!" Zhane took charge and punched the sequence on his morpher, crying, "Let's Rocket!"

Kai sighed. "Go Galactic!" he yelled. "Lights of Orion, activate!"

Other morphing cries filled the air. "Let's Rocket!" "Time for, time force!" "Wild Access!" "Dino thunder, power up, ha!" "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, ha!" "Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!" "Overdrive accelerate!" "RPM get in gear!"

Eleven Rangers stood in the woods. None held a weapon. This mission hopefully wouldn't call for fighting but for stealth. Zhane led the way as they ran off towards the fortress.

* * *

Cole was spent. He swung his sword left and right but was quickly overcome and battered to his knees. Vainly, he looked left and right to see if anyone would come to his rescue. But the scene was even more hopeless than he had thought. Time seemed to slow as Cole's gaze landed on each Ranger in turn.

Justin was surrounded by at least fifteen Rinshi who had just come pouring out of the fortress. His faceplate was cracked and he was limping as he spun into a karate kick.

TJ was fighting barehanded against a scaly purple creature. He was fighting with just one arm as the other one had been severed at the elbow. He jumped away from an attack and turned, not seeing the Rinshi who was creeping up behind him.

Damon and Joel fought side by side. Joel was back to just his own Mega Battle Armor, Chad's energy nearly spent. He wielded the large saw with great gusto against his enemies. Damon's Quasar Saber whistled through the air.

Cole turned his attention to Lucas just in time to see the shot that struck the blue Ranger in the back of his head. He remained standing for a moment and then dropped like a stone.

At the same time, a movement caught Cole's eye. He looked up to see his death coming down on him.

When the large broadsword sliced through Cole's body, his final words rested on his lips. "Save them. I have…"

The battle was quickly turning sour and the Rangers wouldn't last much longer. The others needed to rescue the girls. Connor knew that; he knew that his team wouldn't make it without backup. They wouldn't make it for another five minutes without some form of backup.

"Casey!" Connor called into his communicator. "Casey, we need you guys! NOW!!"

* * *

Casey pulled back and circled the clearing. "Can't do it, Connor! We're pinned down!"

It was true. Everyone in the clearing was engaged in battle. Wes still fought Adam and Rocky was losing ground to Zack. Ziggy was swinging his Axe wildly but RJ had the speed of a wolf—he wouldn't be cornered so easily. Will scored a series of hits against Danny and drove the Wild Force Ranger back a pace. Danny went to his knees and Casey caught sight of the monster on the other side of him.

"Will! We have to get her!" Casey shouted as he slid under a hit from Cam. "She's the key!"

Will nodded and kicked Danny square in the jaw, sending the guy flying backwards to crash on his back a few feet away. Casey charged forward, sidestepping Cam, and the two ran full-out at the monster who was watching Wes take a knee to the gut from Adam. Casey pulled his Shark Sabers and threw them as hard as he could at the monster. Will twirled his Drive Defender in his hand and dove at the monster, sword held out. His attack hit the monster in the back and Casey's swords pierced each one of the monster's shoulders.

The monster screamed and whirled, yanking the Sabers from her shoulders. "You boys shouldn't have done that," she hissed, pulling her own sword, a wickedly curved scimitar.

Will and Casey began to circle her, each holding their fists ready. Will still had his Drive Defender but Casey didn't have his Sabers anymore and had lost his Jungle Chucks fighting Cam. The monster took a swing at Casey and managed to land a heavy blow on Casey's helmet, cracking the faceplate right down the middle and shearing away the right half of it.

"Casey!" Rocky yelled. He swung away from his battle and chucked his Zeo Axe at Casey, who caught the weapon in one hand and dropped to his haunches, spinning around and slicing in at the monster's ankle. The attack struck home and the monster roared. Now Will was on top of it, chopping in with his Drive Defender. Together, they drove the monster to her knees and, finally, Casey stabbed the creature in the heart with Rocky's Axe. Seconds later, the creature breathed its last breath and was still.

Adam stopped with his Power Weapon raised above his head, ready to slam down upon a kneeling, wounded Wes. Cam stopped mid-lunge, aiming for Casey's back. Danny stopped with his Crystal Saber in his hand, headed for the back of Will's head. RJ stopped and didn't pull back when Ziggy launched a spinning karate kick into his abdomen. And Zack stopped mid-spin, with the result being that he tumbled to the ground, from which he didn't get up.

"What…what's going on?" Adam asked, staring down at his weapon as he shook his head in confusion.

Ziggy visibly relaxed and Casey lowered Rocky's axe. "You guys were under some kind of spell. A monster passed herself off as Karone and got you to drink something that made you fight against us. Hard." Casey laughed shortly.

Zach was helping Merrick to his feet. "Wow. Sorry, guys."

Will looked kind of guilty. "Yeah, sorry about the leg, Merrick. But in my defense, I really didn't have a choice. You guys together would have brought me down."

Merrick shrugged. "No worries, man. I don't think it's broken."

Danny powered down, rubbing his jaw. "My jaw might be."

"Sorry, Danny. Had to do what I had to do, ya know." Will slapped the Samurai Ranger on the shoulder.

Wes got to his feet and slapped his hands together. "Come on guys. Connor and the others need our help."

"How is that fight going? Have they rescued the girls yet?" RJ asked.

"No." Casey replied shortly. "They need our help but we were kind of tied up here. So let's go."

Cam morphed again and Wes straddled his Vector Cycle. Will called Mack's Humvee and he, Adam, Rocky and Zack piled into it. Cam called Shane's Tsunami Cycle. Danny called on his Savage Cycle and Merrick got on behind him, unable to drive his own Cycle because of his hurt leg. Casey swung his leg over his Savage Rider and Cam called on Tori's Tsunami Cycle for RJ. Then they rode off, headed to the battle.


	12. Blood Sacrifice

Zhane held his hand up for everyone to stop. They were within sight of a back door but it was guarded by two of the Overlord's minions. He paused, trying to figure out the best course of action.

"We can take them!" Trip said quietly, coming up beside Zhane.

"Before they raise the alarm?" Kai countered.

"We don't have time to worry about it, mate." Flynn put in.

Zhane made the decision. "We go and we go hard. Take those two down. Then we're in and we find the girls. We get them out and back to base. Got it?" he looked around to make sure everyone indicated they understood. "On my mark. 3…2…1…now!"

The Rangers burst from their hiding spot and charged, running silently across the grass. Daggeron and Theo easily outstripped the others and each launched himself at a guard. The takedown was swift and by the time the rest of the team got there, the guards had been subdued. Then the Rangers went to the door. It was locked.

Theo pulled out his Jungle Tonfa and sliced at the lock. At the same time, Dustin slammed his foot into the door. The result was that the door buckled and fell inward.

Zhane cringed, waiting for an army to show up in response to the noise. Nothing happened. "Ok, let's go, go, go!" he whispered.

Kai and Zhane took the lead. Zhane withdrew his Super Silverizer and Kai held his Quasar Saber loosely in his hand. They jogged down the hallway, not speaking until Trip shouted, his hands clamped over his face.

"They're killing her! They're killing her!" he screamed. Dustin jumped on him and drove him to the ground, trying to shut him up before he announced their whole presence.

"What, Trip? What is it!" Max cried.

But it wasn't Trip who answered. It was Billy. "It's been ten minutes."

* * *

_She's feisty_, the Overlord thought as he watched her struggle in the water tank, holding her breath. He checked to make sure the video was running.

* * *

Another video had arrived and Tommy played it with regret. At first, they couldn't tell who it was. Then Mack groaned and slammed his palm on the chair.

"No!" he shouted as the camera zoomed in on the figure wearing yellow in the tank. "Ronny!"

Jason glanced sharply at Mack. "I thought you loved a girl named Rose? Who is this Ronny?"

"Ronny is a member of my team. She's our yellow Ranger. I may not love her but I still care about her."

As they watched, Ronny fought as hard as she could against the chains holding her to the bottom of the tank. Mack clenched his fists and expressions of fury passed over his face as he watched her finally run out of air and take a deep breath. Unable to bear seeing her body sink to the bottom, he turned away from the screen.

Finally, the Overlord's dreaded voice came through the computer. "Tick-tock, Rangers. Tick-tock." And the video ended.

"He's proving something." Trent said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. "He's not just killing the ones we love. He's going to kill them all."

"They need to hurry." Dillon stated.

* * *

"Zhane, it's Tommy. You guys need to speed it up," Tommy's voice echoed in the dark hallway.

Zhane slapped his hand over his communicator. He looked around to see if any enemies had heard the noise and were coming to investigate. Kai's Saber was held in ready position. No one moved.

"We're going as fast as we can, Tommy." Zhane hissed. "We're almost there."

Zhane hit the off button on the communicator before Tommy could respond. He turned to Kai. "Any clue where to go?"

Dustin let Trip up off the floor now that he was quiet and pointed towards a large door at the end of the hall. "Maybe there?"

"Sounds like the best idea we have." Kai agreed and headed off in that direction, Zhane right beside him. When they reached the door, Zhane looked back. All the other Rangers had drawn weapons now. Billy held his Power Weapon tight in his right hand. Carlos gripped his Lunar Lance in a double-handed grip. Kai still clutched his Quasar Saber. Trip twirled a Chrono Saber in each hand and Max clenched a Blue Shark Fighting Fin in each fist. Ethan held his Tricera shield loosely in one hand and his Thundermax Saber in the other. Daggeron's Laser Lamp was held in both hands, pointed at the door. Theo had his Jungle Tonfa out and Dustin held his Lion Hammer. Dax and Flynn brought up the rear, the blue Overdrive Ranger with his hands wrapped around his Drive Vortex and the blue RPM Ranger handled his Turbo Cannon with two hands in front of him.

Then Zhane and Kai slashed with their weapons at the same time and the door split in two, falling open to reveal a large wall. The twelve Rangers stormed inside and swept the room.

"Oh my God," Flynn whispered. Hanging on the walls around them were girls. Flynn saw Summer and ran to her, looking up at her as she hung between a blonde girl and a dark-skinned young woman.

"Flynn? Is that you?" Summer whispered through cracked and bloodied lips. Many of the girl Rangers were looking around now, trying to see their rescuers.

And all the male Rangers were rushing to those they knew. Billy was looking for some way to free Kimberly. Carlos and Zhane were talking quietly to Cassie. Kai was trying to rouse an unconscious Kendrix. Trip stood next to Flynn, talking to Katie. Max had run to Alyssa and was yelling at her to wake up, to move, to do anything, his voice getting more and more panicked. Ethan stood under Kira, trying to keep her calm as she struggled vainly to get free. Daggeron was consoling a weeping Vida. Theo had removed his helmet and was grinning ear to ear as he talked to an also grinning Lily. Dustin was busy assuring Tori that Blake was fine and was actually sitting out the fight. And Dax was looking at each girl in turn, trying to find Ronny.

"Quick." Zhane was fumbling with Cassie's restraints. "We gotta get them out of here before-"

On the other side of the room, Dustin was straining to pull apart the manacles holding Tori's feet to the wall. "They won't open! I can't get them open!"

"You can't open it. They are magically sealed." The Overlord announced as he entered the room alone.

Zhane snapped. Raising his Silverizer, he charged at the monster. The Overlord didn't even blink, just turned his palm towards Zhane. A thin beam of red light shout out and hit Zhane's chest, throwing him to the ground.

"What do you want?" Trip asked quietly, giving up on trying to free Katie.

"I require a sacrifice of blood."

"Fine." Flynn powered down and grabbed Kai's Quasar Saber, wrenching it from his grasp. "I will give you blood." No one moved to stop him as he shoved his shirt sleeve up and prepared to slice the sword across his arm. However, the Overlord's laugh gave him pause.

"I don't want your blood." He turned and pointed his hand at Cassie's body. The beam shot out again but this time it was green. And as it hit Cassie, she screamed. Carlos jumped to stand in front of her but the beam shut off, leaving Cassie with a bloody, festering wound in her side. At the same time, her shackles clicked open and she fell to the ground, Carlos dropping to her side. The Overlord turned back to Flynn. "I want theirs."

"No. No, not gonna happen. You can have all of our blood that you want but we're not gonna let you take theirs." Kai declared, retrieving his Quasar Saber from Flynn.

"You are not in charge here. I am. To prove it, I will kill one." And before anyone could move, Trini had been hit with a wider beam. Billy cried out and ran to her but it was too late. She was dead. The Overlord turned back to Kai. "Or perhaps I will kill another."

"No!" Kai shouted but it was too late. The Overlord turned to Tanya and fired. The beam struck the yellow Turbo Ranger and killed her instantly.

"I am very serious about this." The Overlord chuckled. Zhane got to his knees and turned to look at Carlos.

"Get Cassie out of here," he hissed.

"Oh, no. No one leaves. You have six minutes to get the ones who love these girls here or I start shooting."

Kai held his morpher to his mouth as soon as the Overlord stopped speaking. "Leo, Leo, come in. Leo."

"Yeah, Kai. What's going on? Connor's group is getting pummeled. Where are you guys?"

"Lock on my coordinates and get here. In less than six minutes." Kai's voice was hard.

* **The Lab** *

Leo didn't ask questions. He just cut the transmission and ran from the room. Everyone had heard Kai and were hot on his heels. When they reached the vehicle bay, they morphed.

"Go Galactic! It's Morphin' Time! Let's Rocket! Lightspeed Rescue! Time for, Time Force! Dino Thunder, power up, ha! Magical Source, Mystic Force! Thunder Storm, Ranger Form, ha! Overdrive Accelerate! RPM get in gear!"

Tommy jumped in his Dino ATV and tossed Jason the keys to his Jeep. Jason, Dillon, Gem and Chip got in the Jeep. Mack used Will's ATV, Trent roared off in his Dino ATV and Wes sped off on his Vector Cycle. Eric was forced to ride Jen's Vector Cycle and Hunter and Blake revved up their Tsunami Cycles. Carter, Chad and Ryan kicked their Lightspeed Cycles into gear and roared off in hot pursuit of those in the front. Andros called Zhane's Galactic Rover for himself and Zhane's Silver Cycle for Leo. Then they followed the rest of the group.

Five minutes later, they pulled up outside the fortress and ran for the door, leaving cycles on their sides on the ground and ATVs with engines still running. They pounded down the hallway and entered the room to see Team two facing off with the Overlord. Carlos crouched protectively over Cassie in the corner. And finally, there were shouts of outrage as the guys caught sight of the girls hanging on the walls.

"What is going on? Get them down!" Dillon shouted, running to Summer. "Summer, are you ok? Summer, can you hear me?"

"You came." Summer smiled slightly, a oozing gash stretching the length of her right cheek. "You came for me."

Dillon reached up and stroked her cheek. "Of course I came," he whispered, his voice all choked up.

"How touching." The Overlord mocked. Dillon spun around and, a second later, his Nitro Sword was in his hand and he was charging the monster. With one twist of his body, the Overlord spun out of the way and slapped Dillon in the back with his hand, sending the black Ranger sprawling.

"What do you want?" Leo asked.

"Blood. Not yours," the Overlord added as an afterthought. "I want theirs."

Carlos looked up from where he was trying to staunch Cassie's wound. "He did this to her, Andros. And he killed Trini. And Tanya."

Jason's face went white. "No, no, not Trini." He rushed to where she hung on the wall and shook her leg but it was true. She was dead.

Tommy's exclamation was equally as heart-felt. "Not Tanya…" he muttered. He could see from where he stood that she was dead and so he simply hung his head, feeling the weight of failure crashing down onto him.


	13. Unwilling Inflictors

"What do you want us to do?" Hunter asked.

"Easy. I want you to take your girlfriend's blood. Each one of you. You must give them a deep wound somewhere where it will hurt. Then their manacles will release and they will be free. And you others, you will injure the ones who aren't loved."

"What? No! I'm not injuring Ashley. She already had to fight her friends, I won't hurt her again!" Andros protested.

"All right then." The Overlord turned to face Kelsey and fired his beam. An instant later, she was dead too.

"If you don't do as I say, I will kill all of them. I will kill one every three minutes anyway so you better get started. And if the cut isn't deep enough, the manacles won't release. Not enough blood, no freedom. So I guess you'd better get started." The Overlord leered.

Leo looked at the others. Chad had run to Kelsey and had wrapped his arms around her legs. He yanked his Rescue Blaster from its holster and fired it into her leg, causing blood to gush forth. At the spurt of blood, the shackles released and Kelsey fell into his arms. He dropped slowly to the ground, cradling her lifeless body against his chest.

"We gotta do it," Carter said, his voice choked up. "We can't let another one die. I won't lose Dana."

"I can't, man. I can't just slice into Ashley!" Andros protested. He'd removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair. "How can you look at the girl you love and just chop into her?!" Andros' voice dropped to a whisper. "I can't, Carter."

"Then she'll die. I can do it. I have to do it." Jason gritted his teeth and strode towards Kimberly. The brown-haired girl was trying to look down at him but ropes held her head fast to the wall.

"Jason? Jason, help me. I…I hurt all over, Jason. Jason, Jason, Jason," the girl kept repeating his name over and over and over.

"I am going to save you, Kim. I'm going to get you out of here. But first…first, I have to hurt you." Jason's voice was torn. He powered down and everyone could see the tears pouring down his face. His shoulders were shaking as he withdrew his Power Weapon and whispered. "I'm sorry."

Then he raised the weapon high and then brought it cutting downward. His sword dug a gouge in Kimberly's leg, producing a stream of blood and a high-pitched scream. Jason looked expectantly at the shackles. They didn't release.

"Looks like they want more blood," the Overlord chuckled. "Better give it to them. One minute and I kill another one."

"We need to do what he says!" Leo exclaimed but Tommy held up his hand.

"We wait and see if it works on Kim first." Tommy said, his jaw working. It was obvious he didn't like this any more than Leo did.

Jason whirled to face the Overlord. "What? I sliced her stinkin' leg open!"

"It wants more. I'd suggest you give it more."

Jason turned back to Kim. "I'm so sorry, Kim. Oh God, I'm so sorry." And he took the point of his sword and drove it into her side.

Tommy shouted, Kim screamed and blood went everywhere. A second later, the shackles snapped open and Kim fell into Jason's arms. In seconds, blood covered Jason's shirt.

"Get her out of here." Tommy ordered, unaware that Zhane had already ordered the same thing.

"Sorry, Tommy boy. No one leaves until you free every girl that's alive." The Overlord stared with rapt fascination at Jason and Kimberly.

"We gotta do it." Eric said. He ran towards Taylor. He touched her knee and pulled his helmet off. "I'm gonna get you free, Tay. It's gonna hurt but I'm gonna save you."

"I…I heard Kim…is she…what are you going to do?" Taylor asked weakly, her head rolling from left to right as she tried to get a look at Eric.

"I'm going to hurt you." Eric whispered and aimed his Quantum Defender at Taylor's shoulder. He fired and held the trigger for one second, two seconds, three seconds. When he let go, the laser had blasted a hole through Taylor's shoulder. She was screaming, the sound cutting through Eric's heart. Blood ran everywhere. Taylor's shackles clicked open and she fell into his arms. Eric carefully lowered her to the ground and powered down. He ripped off his shirt and balled it up, pressing it against her shoulder wound. Taylor's screams cut off suddenly as she passed out.

Now the other guys were moving towards the girls. Carter was headed towards Dana when a brilliant beam of light shot past him. He yelled and could do nothing but watch as it hit Maya in the chest and killed her instantly.

"Three minutes." The Overlord announced.

Carter and Ryan were standing beneath where Dana hung. Dana was screaming, screaming at Carter to get away.

"Go away, Carter! I don't want you to save me! I don't deserve to be saved! Get away!" Dana shouted, shaking in her fury.

"Why?" Ryan asked, his V-Lancer ready to perform the necessary deed.

"Don't you know? I killed Karone. I'm a murderer, Ryan. I don't deserve to live." Dana began to sob.

Zhane now approached Dana. "Karone wouldn't like your thoughts, Dana, and you know that. She wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. You didn't know it was her. She would have killed you. Please…let them save you."

Ryan didn't ask any more questions, he just aimed the V-Lancer at Dana and fired.

Max moved towards Alyssa but the Overlord's raised hand stopped him. "No. The ones who are loved must be freed first. The others are second-best so they come last."

Kai shouted. "They're not second best! We love them too!"

The Overlord didn't respond.

"Leo! Leo, help me! Leo, I'm scared." Kendrix cried. Her voice cut through the confusion in Leo's brain and he knew what he had to do to save the girl he loved. He ran across the room to where Kendrix hung. His heart broke when he saw the bruises covering Kendrix's arms.

She still couldn't see him and her panic was starting to overcome her. After all, she had already seen one of her best friends kill another friend. "Leo!" she shouted. "Leo, where are you? Help me, Leo, help me!"

Leo ran his hand down her leg. "It's ok, babe, I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you, I promise. I'm going to get you out of here."

"How? We can't get free…and he said something about blood." Kendrix was still shaking.

"I have to hurt you. I don't want to but I have to. And I have to do it now." Leo drew his Quasar Saber and, with a yell, plunged the tip of it into Kendrix's leg. He dragged the sword downward, creating a bloody gash in her leg. Blood poured out of her leg and cascaded over Leo's hands. Suddenly, the manacles popped open and Kendrix dropped into Leo's arms, thrashing and screaming.

"Shhh," Leo whispered as he lowered Kendrix to the ground. "I've got you. Nothing's going to hurt you anymore. I promise."

Dillon pushed himself up off the floor and staggered back to Summer's side. He held his Rocket Blaster in his hand.

"Dillon, are you going to hurt me?" Summer asked quietly.

"I have to. It's the only way to save you," Dillon whispered haltingly. He raised his blaster and fired point blank at Summer's waist. She screamed as a fountain of blood erupted from the wound. Her shackles clicked open and she fell to the ground, still screaming.

Dillon powered down and yanked off his shirt, rolling it up and shoving it against her wound. Thankfully, Summer passed out and Ziggy came running over to help. Dillon leaned over Summer's face and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered.

All around the room, screams were heard as weapons fired and shackles released. Rose fell from her bindings with a gaping wound in her side. Chip carefully lowered Vida to the ground. Kat and Gemma were released. And then the Overlord spoke again.

"Haste doesn't seem to apply to you, boys." He chuckled and fired. Aisha didn't even see her death coming until it was already there. Jason shouted at her but it was too late. She was gone.

Blake knew he had to hurry. He ran to where Dustin stood, still fumbling with Tori's cuffs and shoved him out of the way.

"Hey, Tor. Long time no see." He grinned, his helmet lying on the ground a few feet away.

"Blake. Blake…don't hurt me, please. I already hurt. Please. Don't do it to me, please." Tori whispered, bringing an expression of pain to Blake's face.

"I have to free you, Tori. And so I have to hurt you. But I won't let you die. I promise."

"Blake…" Tori whispered.

Blake raised his Thunder Staff and brought it swishing down, cleaving through Tori's side. She screamed in pain and, once her cuffs opened, dropped into Blake's waiting arms.

Trent didn't know if he could do it. If he could willingly inflict pain on the woman he loved more than life itself. But he also knew that if he didn't, she would die. So he ran to where she hung. Once he got close enough, he could hear her calling his name.

"Trent, Trent, Trent! Where are you?

"I'm right here, Kir. I love you. Where'd you think I'd be?" Trent placed his hand on her knee.

"He's killed so many…don't let him kill me, Trent, please." Kira's voice quivered.

"I'm not. He won't get near you. But I have to-"

Kira cut him off. "I know. I heard. Just do it, Trent. Quickly."

Trent nodded and drew his Drago Sword. Yelling, he thrust it into Kira's side and twisted, shaking the sword left and right until the wound was a jagged hole and blood gushed forth. Then Kira was released and Trent lowered her to the ground, clutching her close to him.

Andros still hadn't moved from the center of the room as Hunter ran to Lily. Lily was hanging calmly on the wall, not making a sound. A long gash ran the length of her leg and Hunter could see the bone sticking out of her skin.

"Hey, Lily. I'm going to get you free." Hunter said calmly as he pulled out his Crimson Blaster.

"Hunter? Why are you rescuing me?" Lily asked, genuinely confused.

"Because I…I care about you. We can talk more later, Lil, but for now I need to get you out of here." Hunter aimed his blaster at Lily's already injured leg. "This might hurt."

The scream that followed the blast that tore into her leg was proof that it hurt more than a little bit. Lily's manacles opened and she fell from the wall. Hunter caught her and held her close to him, his movements gentle as he slowly lowered her to the ground.

Now Max moved towards Alyssa but the Overlord laughed. "You better wait on that, Shark boy. There's still one who hasn't been saved. Less than a minute to go before I kill another one."

Zhane looked at Andros and saw him still standing in the middle of the room, his Spiral Saber held loosely at his side. "Andros! Come on! Shoot her already!"

Andros shook his head. "I…I can't. I can't."

Max was livid. "Dude, come on! I have to get to Alyssa!"

Andros still didn't move. Zhane ran up to him and shook him, hard. "Dude, you have to!! She'll be okay!"

And then the three minutes were up. The beam of light shot out, past Max and hit Alyssa in the chest. And then she was dead too.

Max dropped to the floor, his hands over his eyes. "No…why didn't you shoot?" he yelled in anguish, looking up at Andros. "This is your fault!!"

Andros looked at Ashley, who was unconscious. Then he looked at the Rangers still hanging on the walls, the ones who wouldn't come home. Alyssa…Maya…Tanya…Aisha…Trini…and Kelsey in Chad's arms as the blue Lightspeed Ranger cried over her body.

Katie was the only Ranger still hanging on the wall, still alive. Trip stood under her, waiting, waiting for Andros to do what he had to do.

"Do it!" Trip shouted. "Don't make Katie die!"

Andros took a step towards Ashley and another. Then, with a loud shout, he drove his sword forward and pierced Ashley in the side. Blood trickled out and the shackles didn't release.

"More, Andros! More!" Jason yelled from where he crouched next to Kim.

"I CAN'T!" Andros yelled.

"You have to, mate!" Flynn cried. "Do you want another death on your hands?"

"No…" Andros whispered. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. Then he plunged his sword into Ashley's chest, rotating the blade and producing a stream of blood. This time, the shackles were satisfied and Ashley fell into Andros' arms. He sank to the floor and didn't look up.

Trip didn't waste any time. He took both of his Chrono Sabers and stabbed them into Katie's legs. Blood ran forth in two rivers and a second later, the manacles released and the yellow Time Force ranger fell to the ground.

Ryan looked at Zhane. "We've got to get out of here! We have to get them back to the lab!"

Just then, the doors opened again and noises could be heard in the hallway. Jason and Hunter turned to look and what they saw shocked them.

Backing into the room were the rest of the guy Rangers…but not all of them. Zack, Justin and Adam were powered down and covered with gashes as they battled against two horned monsters. Rocky, Damon and Joel were fighting valiantly against three large pockmarked creatures. Danny, Merrick and Connor were losing a fight with two fire-breathing monsters. Nick, Xander and Casey were holding their own against a horde of Rinshi, though Xander had blood pouring from a gaping hole in his head. Dominic, RJ, Ziggy and Scott were trying to hold a group of feathered bad guys at bay but were gradually losing ground. And Shane, Cam and Will were doing their best against another large group of Rinshi.

"There is no escape from this room," the Overlord said gleefully. "You will fight and you will die."


	14. Final Battle

It was almost as if the words "you will fight and you will die" were resonating around the room. The words seemed to trigger something in the evil creatures and they backed off, forming a sort of line in front of the door. Joel dropped to the floor, his chest heaving. Connor stepped to the middle of the room and looked at Tommy.

"Dr. O, what happened? Are they okay?" he asked, keeping a close and wary eye on the monsters.

"We're ok but the girls aren't. Listen, Connor, we can't leave until these guys are destroyed. This is it, Connor. This is what you were made a Ranger for." Dr. Oliver still knelt at Kat's side.

Trent stood up and took a step towards Connor. Connor raised his hand and shook his head. "The girls are the targets. You guys have to protect them." He took a quick look around. "Two guys guard each girl. They'll be the targets." He repeated.

Not waiting for approval of his decision, he started giving orders.

"Jason, Adam, you guys watch Kimberly. Tommy and Billy—guard Kat. Andros and Zhane are with Ashley; Carlos and Rocky protect Cassie. Leo, Kai, stay with Kendrix; Carter and Ryan, keep Dana safe. Danny will help Eric guard Taylor. Trip and Chad will guard Katie. Trent, you and Ethan protect Kira. Chip and Daggeron guard Vida and Dominic will help Hunter guard Lily. Tori's protectors will be Blake and Dustin. Mack, Dax will help you guard Rose. Dillon, you and Flynn guard Summer. Ziggy and Gem will protect Gemma."

Connor turned to clap Casey on the shoulder. "The rest of us? We fight."

Slowly, a line began to form, facing off with the ultimate enemies. Connor anchored the middle of the line. Rangers began to step up, morphed or not, all ready for action. Zack, Justin and Damon stood to Connor's right. Neither Zack nor Justin had the energy to re-morph. They stood in their street clothes, determined expressions on their faces. Next to Damon, Joel had lost his Mega Battle armor and his hand rested on his holstered Ranger blaster. Max stood beside Joel, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Wes held his Chrono Saber loosely in his hand, eyes hard. Nick and Xander held the end of the line. Nick was morphed but helmetless, his helmet having been blown away in the battle. He clutched the Lion Staff and Xander wore the Mystic Force Fighters. To Connor's left stood the three Pai Zhuq, Casey with his Jungle Chucks, Theo with his Jungle Tonfa and RJ with just his fists. Next to RJ stood Shane and Cam, neither one morphed. Shane sported a bloody gash along the right side of his face and Cam was bleeding profusely from a cut in his side. Will was poised for action next to Cam, his Drive Slammer resting on his shoulder. Merrick held his Lunar Cue tightly, ready to fight. Scott's morphing suit was flickering wildly and his face was a bloody mess. But these seventeen Rangers were determined to win, determined to let no more harm come to the girls behind them. Connor looked down the line.

"This is it, guys. This is what we've trained for. No one reaches the girls. No one. We fight and win…or we fight and we die."

"Good luck," Carter whispered.

Connor tried to summon his Super Dino Mode but he couldn't. He simply didn't have the energy. Instead, he brandished his Thundermax Saber and, screaming like a banshee, charged forward. There was a moment of hesitation and then everyone followed him. Connor whirled into an attack against the same fire-breathing monsters he had been fighting earlier. Casey flanked the monsters from the other side and cut in with his Chucks. The monster he had aimed at ducked and turned, slicing his sword across Connor's abdomen. Connor's suit bled away most of the pain from the hit but enough got through to send Connor reeling. Casey pushed Connor back, away from the fight.

"I've got this! Get your breath!" Casey shouted.

Xander and Theo were fighting the biggest group of Rinshi they'd ever seen. Theo slashed two in half with his Tonfa but there were too many. They just kept coming. Xander used his magic to pull vines out of the ground but the Rinshi were too nimble. The vines couldn't hold them. Two grabbed Xander's arms, pinning them behind his back. He struggled but couldn't get free before three Rinshi rushed him, slamming into him and causing him to scream in pain.

"Xander!" Theo shouted, fighting to get to his friend. Xander's helmet disappeared and the rest of his suit flickered wildly.

Scott and Will were trading blows with three large, pockmarked creatures. Flynn watched anxiously from his position on the floor. He clutched his Turbo Cannon in one hand and his Nitro Blaster in the other. He wanted to fight, wanted to help his friends, but he knew that if the monsters reached Summer, he and Dillon would be her last chance for survival. So he was forced to watch as his comrades fought valiantly against too many foes.

He saw Scott go to his knees as Will jumped in front of him to take the blow meant to kill him. Then Will, too, was driven to the ground. The pockmarked creatures stepped forward and each one swung his sword. With one stroke, Will and Scott were cleaved in half. Flynn shouted but there was nothing he could do.

And now, with no Rangers standing in their way, the monsters strode forwards, directly towards Trip, Chad and Katie. Flynn saw Shane and Cam turn to take Will and Scott's place but their slip in focus caused the creatures they were fighting to score a series of strategic hits, sending both Ninja Rangers flying, to crash into the wall. They fell to the ground and didn't move. Now the two horned monsters advanced towards Mack, Dax and Rose.

Chad lurched to his feet as Trip crouched protectively over Katie. The three pockmarked beasts leapt at Chad, each one swinging a lethal sword. Chad swung his V-Lancer wildly but he was no match for three enemies. Maybe thirty seconds after the initial assault, Chad's morphing suit overloaded and vanished. Five seconds later, his body fell to the ground, smoke billowing from a wound the size of a basketball in his chest. Trip shouted but didn't move from his spot. The three creatures rushed at Trip. Trip called his Chrono Sabers and fought, cursing a blue streak as he defended himself. So intent was he on fighting the two creatures slashing at him with swords, that he didn't see the third sneak around him until it was too late.

A shrill scream from Katie alerted him to the danger behind him. He whirled but, before he could launch an attack, the third monster drove his sword down through Katie, piercing her heart. Trip shouted but there was nothing he could do. Abandoning Katie's body, he went on the offensive, falling into a fighting frenzy as he attacked the three monsters. He was no match for them though and followed his friends into death soon after.

Mack and Dax had decided to present a united front to face the horned creatures. They left Rose lying behind them and jumped to battle with the enemies. Dax ducked under an attack from one of the creatures and slashed backwards with his Drive Defender. Mack engaged the other one with his Drive Lance. Both were relatively fresh but their opponents were tough. Neither Ranger could score a hit and finally, one of the monsters got under their guard. Dax cried out as the monster he was fighting brought his arm crashing down on Dax's back. Dax lost focus for one second and it was that second that cost him his life. Mack's battle, on the other hand, was going better. He had lopped off the beast's right arm and carved a hole in its abdomen. With a little fancy footwork, Mack managed to defeat him…only to get a sword blade across his own back from the other creature. _Spinal cord,_ Mack thought dully as he dropped to the ground, unable to move his legs. He knew, without a doubt, that the blow had slashed his spine in two, leaving him paralyzed. There was nothing he could do to stop the blow that killed him. And without her two protectors, it was only a matter of time before the second horned monster approached Rose and raised his sword.

"Not so fast, buddy!" Carter cried, rising to his knees where he knelt beside Dana. Aiming his V-Lancer at the horned monster, Carter let fly a vicious attack that sent the monster back to the pit of hell from which he had come. Ryan left Dana in Carter's care and crawled to Rose, protecting her now.

Now Flynn saw others falling. He glimpsed Joel falling under a hail of fire from one of the feathered monsters. Damon rushed to his side, but by the time he got there, it was too late. Theo saved Xander's life with a well-placed kick, only to be caught by another Rinshi. Theo crumpled to the floor in a heap as Xander battled on. He watched RJ finally win the battle against his opponent and race to Justin's side, just in time to catch the Blue Turbo Ranger as he fell to the ground with a smoking hole in his chest. Flynn finally sighed.

"Dillon…I have to help." He whispered, standing up. Aiming his Turbo Cannon at Casey's opponent, he opened fire.

All around the room, Rangers who protected the injured were standing, doing what they could from their positions. Billy and Jason were firing twin streams of energy from their Blade Blasters at the monster who had just felled Zack. Andros added the fire from his Astro Blaster to the fire from Carter's V-Lancer and together, they brought down some of the Rinshi attacking Xander. Eric's Quantum Defender spat gouts of fire at the feathered avians attacking Max. Chip's Magi Staff fired again and again.

Slowly, the number of enemies dwindled. But so did the number of Rangers. The seventeen were down to eight. Nick and Wes tag-teamed a scaly monster and finally, through sheer luck, managed to bring him down.

"We can't…win…" Nick panted. "We're all just going to die."

"No." Wes said. "We can beat this guy. We just need to take out the leader." He pointed at the Overlord, who stood on the sidelines, watching.

Nick looked at Wes. "I have enough energy for one more power-up. Full power, both of us?"

Wes nodded. "This might be it, buddy."

Nick saw Max driven to the ground by a vicious broadsword slash to the head. "We can't win, Wes. No way. All we love, all we're fighting for, we'll never see it again. We can't win."

"We can try." Wes squared his shoulders and screamed, "Battle Warrior Mode!"

Also getting to his feet, Nick shouted, "Red Dragon Fire Ranger!"

The two Rangers didn't hesitate. They charged. Together, they attacked the Overlord, circling him. Wes feinted in and Nick scored a hit on the monster's back. The Overlord drove his foot into Nick's gut and followed it up with a slash of his sword. Nick gasped and collapsed, his morphing suit vanishing to reveal a gash that stretched the length of his torso. Wes, afraid for his friend's life but unwilling to lose his focus, scored a series of hits and then, to his surprise, the Overlord backed away.

"You have won, Rangers." He said.

"Excuse me, what?" Wes asked, confused.

"I believe you have won." The Overlord waved his hand around.

Wes looked around. It was true. No more battles were being waged. Four other Rangers stood in the middle of the room, having survived their fights. He looked back at the Overlord. "I still have to kill you."

"That-" the Overlord started to say but suddenly, there was a flash of green light and the Overlord fell forward. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Xander stood behind him. "Power down." He whispered. Nick looked around. Casey was supporting a heavily bleeding Connor behind Wes. Merrick was kneeling beside a prone Max, but the expression on his face showed how unlikely it was that the blue Wild Force Ranger would rise to his feet.

"It's over?" Summer whispered from the floor.

"It's over." Connor agreed.

* * *

Once the Rangers got the girls back to the lab they took some time to remember those who had been killed. Every team had lost someone and a few had lost many. Of the fifty male Rangers who had gone to rescue the girls, nineteen would not be returning. Nine of the girls had been killed. All would forever be emotionally scarred. Many had only just begun to experience the feelings they had for each other and would discover the true depths of their love on the path to recovery. And as the teams parted ways, they parted with a promise. That, should they ever be needed again, they'd be there. In a heartbeat.

**Author's Note: Please read and review! I'm thinking about a third one in this series maybe…I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. We'll see. Right now, it's time to power down.**


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